Yalau beach

The men were chasing a youth through the village when the grandmother came out to see what was happening outside.

The mother of five, identified as Kairen Kembe, was shocked when she saw a bush knife aimed at her head. She instinctively put up her hands to ward off the weapon, resulting in her hand getting severely slashed.

The encounter with the drunks happened less than a week after the woman lost her grandson after a motorised dingy overturned near Yalau beach, about five kilometres from their home.

The boy went missing following a dinghy mishap near Yalau beach, in Rai Coast district.

According to a youth from Bobidik, who was part of the search party, the child was still carrying his father’s bilum around his neck, containing his father’s wallet and bank card.

The other victim, a two-month-old baby, is still missing.