24 Oct 2008

PNG police investigate fatal stabbing of university student

4:27 pm on 24 October 2008

The police in Papua New Guinea's Morobe Province are investigating the fatal stabbing of a student at the University of Technology, near Lae.

The first year student died due to the loss of blood from his stab wounds following a fight between Highlands and Sepik students late on Wednesday.

The university's registrar Allan Sako says the brawl took place after the two groups of students had got drunk at separate parties and crossed paths while returning to campus.

He says some of them retaliated the next morning.

"When the Highlands students learnt of the death of one of their colleagues, they mobilised themselves and tried to fight with the Sepiks in the morning, and in the process I think they fought one of the students from Sepik. And the student was hospitalised and I think he's been discharged."

Allan Sako says the two groups have clashed in the past and police are now speaking with students about the incident.