Tropical Cyclone Maila Leaves Eleven Dead in Papua New Guinea

(MENAFN) At least 11 people have been killed in Papua New Guinea following severe flooding and landslides triggered by Tropical Cyclone Maila, according to local media reports on Monday.

Casualties were reported in the autonomous region of Bougainville, as confirmed by the National Broadcasting Corporation of Papua New Guinea. At least 12 additional people were hospitalized with injuries of varying severity.

The disaster prompted a regional response, with Australia announcing A$2.5 million (approximately $1.75 million) in humanitarian aid to support both Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands in dealing with the aftermath of the cyclone.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said that reaching remote and isolated communities affected by the storm remains a major challenge, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Tropical Cyclone Maila initially reached Category 5 intensity over the Solomon Sea, bringing widespread destruction, heavy rainfall, and flooding across parts of eastern Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands before weakening into a tropical low.

Authorities have begun distributing emergency assistance, including food supplies, clean drinking water, medical aid, and temporary shelter materials, as part of ongoing relief operations.

The storm had earlier been forecast to make landfall in southeastern New Guinea as a weaker Category 2 or 3 system, but it intensified significantly before later weakening, contributing to the scale of damage reported.

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