Two accidents reported on Magi Highway amid deteriorating road conditions

Two serious motor vehicle accidents occurred over the weekend along the Magi Highway, highlighting growing concerns about deteriorating road conditions in the area.

According to reports, a man died following the accident on Friday night along a severely scraped section of road between Gaire and Barakau village in the Hiri Koiari District, Central Province.

In a separate incident on Sunday, a vehicle driven by a woman with her two children overturned into the damaged Sebore culvert.

St. John Ambulance responded to the scene and transported the mother and her children to the hospital for medical assistance.

These accidents come just days after Hiri Koiari MP Keith Iduhu raised the issue in Parliament, urging Works and Highways Minister Solan Mirisim to address the safety risks along the highway.

"Could the good Minister for Works inform the people of Hiri Koiari and particularly the users of the Magi Highway whether a contract could be issued for a bridge to be built so that it is made safer for our users as a national road?" Iduhu asked during Parliament session last week.

In response, Minister Mirisim said plans were already in progress.

“Regarding your third question on the bridge along the Magi Highway, there is currently no bridge, but we are working on it. We have about two to three contractors on the road,” Mirisim said.

“We want to ensure the road is fixed before September 16th so the Prime Minister can drive from Alotau to Port Moresby, then to Lae, Hagen, Tari, and down to Kikori. These plans are underway.”

“There is no bridge, we are also working on those roads, we have contractors on the road, about two to three contractors," the Works and Highways minister said.

"We want to make sure that road is fixed before September 16th, so Prime Minister can drive from Alotau to Port Moresby, and from Port Moresby he can drive all the way to Lae, and all the way to Hagen, and all the way to Tari, and down to Kikori, so these are plans that are underway, so we are working on it.”

He added, "I would also like to thank you for your maintenance program, we have K100 million funding for this year, so some of our roads, if there is an emergency, we will start maintaining so that the road is kept in good condition"

MP Iduhu took to social media today, renewing calls for immediate emergency funding particularly for the badly damaged Sebore section.

Meanwhile, police officers are currently at the scene with a crane to remove the overturned vehicle.

NBC News is reaching out to the relevant authorities for comments regarding the cause of the accidents.