At least 15 dead in Papua New Guinea as public servants walk out after admin glitch causes pay cut

There has been unrest across Papua New Guinea for several days after key workers walked out

Port Moresby and Lae, the second-biggest city in Papua New Guinea, were engulfed in flames, with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reporting at least 15 people died in the two cities.

Tensions were already rising in the southwestern Pacific country amid high unemployment and increased living costs.

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape said Port Moresby was “under stress and duress” but that violence had eased.

Footage shows some of the damage that has been inflicted across Papua New Guinea's biggest cities

“Police were not at work yesterday in the city and people resorted to lawlessness — not all people, but in certain segments of our city,” Marape said in a news conference on Thursday.

”(The) situation report as of this morning shows tension in the city has subsided.”

Many shops and banking services were closed on Thursday as business owners repaired damage.

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Internet connectivity has also been disrupted after cables in parts of the capital were damaged or stolen, according to NetBlocks, a company that monitors internet disruption.

Papua New Guinea is a diverse, developing nation of mostly subsistence farmers where some 800 languages are spoken. It is in a strategically important part of the South Pacific. With ten million people, it the most populous South Pacific nation after Australia, which is home to 26 million.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appealed for calm. He said his government had not received any requests for help from its closest neighbour.

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