12 Dec 2007

PNG man dies in crocodile attack in Oro flooding aftermath

1:39 pm on 12 December 2007

A man has been killed by a crocodile in Papua New Guinea's Oro Province where authorities are warning people to watch out for crocodiles and snakes displaced by recent heavy flooding.

The man, aged in his 40s, was fishing with a friend on the Wareba River in Ambasi district on Monday when he was taken by the crocodile.

Chief Superintendent Micah Anaiwe is urging people in the province to take heed of warnings about crocodiles and snakes being on the move after they were displaced by severe flooding last month.

The death toll from the flooding has been put at over 150, with thousands of people made homeless and many key bridges and roads washed away.

A major airlift of relief supplies by Australian Defence Force planes and helicopters wound up last week.

PNG, AusAID and other international aid agency officials are now shifting focus to recovery and rehabilitation needs for the province.