Australian trekkers injured in deadly attack on PNG’s Black Cat Track
The Black Cat Track finishes near the town of Wau.
Map: Papua New Guinea
Australians are among those injured in a deadly attack on a trekking group in Papua New Guinea, the Department of Foreign Affairs says.
Two local porters were killed when the group was attacked while trekking along the Black Cat Track in Morobe Province yesterday afternoon.
Four members of the group, which included seven Australians and a New Zealander, were injured. Seven other local porters were badly injured.
Reports indicate the porters were hacked to death and the attackers may have been using machetes, spears and guns.
Key points
Two local porters killed, Australians injured in attack
Reports indicate porters were hacked to death
Injured trekkers awaiting medivac from Wau to Moresby and Lae
DFAT warns trekkers to avoid Black Cat Track
Black Cat Track runs from Salamaua to Wau
Track was originally used by gold prospectors, was scene of heavy fighting in WWII
The injuries sustained by other members of the group include lacerations, cuts and bruises.
The tour operator, Mark Hitchcock form PNG Trekking Adventures, says the group had just set up their camp in the afternoon in a village, when they were held up.
He says the motive for the attack was robbery and the trekkers had everything stolen from them.
Workers from a local mining company were alerted to the attack and helped the injured trekkers walk to their camp nearby, which also has a medical clinic.
Stanley, a spokesman for the company, says they were looked after for the night.
“They were walking, they were able to talk. The local police were onsite as well. They talked to them,” he said.
“We just provided support in terms of medicine, blankets, water.
“A doctor from the hospital in Lae came up last night and treated the tourists.”
He says the bodies of the two porters remain on the track and will be brought out by helicopter later.
Mr Hitchcock says the injured Australians are now comfortable and resting, however the injured porters received more severe injuries and had to be medivacced to Lae for treatment.
The Australian High Commission in Port Moresby has provided consular support.
Trekkers warned to avoid Black Cat Track
DFAT is advising trekkers to avoid the track until local police have investigated the incident.
“Our travel advice for Papua New Guinea advises Australians to exercise a high degree of caution because of the high levels of serious crime,” the spokeswoman said.
A source close to the local police says there is talk the attack could be related to a disagreement between porters from PNG’s lowlands and and locals living in the highlands.
Video: Australians injured, porters killed in attack in PNG (ABC News)
Major Charlie Lynn, New South Wales MLC MP and a Kokoda tour operator, says locals have been unhappy at missing out on profits from tourism in the area.
“I have friends of mine who have got trekking companies that go up there. And they’ve been almost at their wits’ end, because neither PNG tourism nor the Australian Government have expressed any interest in addressing those sort of issues up there,” he said.
There are other theories that the attack could be the work of bandits or organised criminals.
There are doubts over whether police will be able to properly investigate the attack. Local police are typically hindered by a lack of resources and manpower.
After the Kokoda Track, the Black Cat Track is one of the most popular treks in PNG.
The Black Cat Track is a rough track that runs from the village of Salamaua on the coast of the Huon Gulf, south into the mountains to the town of Wau.
It originally started as a trail for gold prospectors heading to Wau.
The trail was a staging ground for battles between Australian and Japanese troops in World War II.
A DFAT spokeswoman says there is no change to the department’s advice relating to other trekking trails in PNG