A Heavy Rain Warning is now in force for Viti Levu, the Northern Division, Yasawa and Mamanuca Groups while a Flash Flood Alert is now in force for all low-lying, flash flood prone areas and small streams of Fiji. A Heavy Rain Alert is also in force for the rest of Fiji. The Weather Office says an active trough of low pressure which is associated with cloud and rain affects the Northern, Western and Eastern parts of the group. It is expected to gradually spread to the rest of the country by tonight. Meanwhile, Tropical Disturbance 02F has been downgraded to a Tropical Low and the Nadi Weather Office is closely monitoring the situation. Stay with us for updates.

Papa Community’s Health Centre sees about 40 to 60 patients per day covering communities from as far as Baruni, Tatana and even beyond Lealea to Kido, Manumanu and Gorohu villages. It’s need for a sustainable power source was recently met through BSP’s annual Community project initiative. The Waigani Banking Centre team, led by Branch Manager Samuel Okti recently donated a solar powered kit, now enabling the medical team to deliver crucial health services during power outages. Mr Okti along with project coordinator Gabe Gaoma and his team also donated chairs for the clinic’s use on Friday 20th December 2024, reaffirming BSP’s commitment to the communities through such annual projects. Papa Health Centre Officer-in-Charge, Zarrah Kihi thanked BSP for meeting the clinic’s need, stating that despite them operating during the day, they are often on standby most times at nights but are unable to work in the night when there is power outage. “This solar kit will help us attend to emergency cases at night, including pregnancy related emergencies, and we are also grateful for the new chairs donated by the bank.” “Thank you for enabling us to end 2024 with a positive change at Papa Health Centre.” Salvation Army Health Director to PNG & Solomon Islands Health Services Dr. Marco Herrera said Papa is the busiest location from its 28 clinics across the country and he thanked BSP for also giving the facility a fresh look of lime green paint. Damena Rei in representing the Papa Village Community said this donation by BSP is a significant step in the village quest for sustainable development and improved health service at the Papa Salvation Army health centre. “Access to reliable electricity is not just a luxury; it is a necessity for providing quality health care.” “The sustainable energy source will power medical equipment like Nebulizer and Oxygen and keep medicines at right temperatures and allow for extended hours of caring and ultimately save lives.” Mr Rei highlighted that the impact of BSP’s support extends beyond the walls of the health centre, thus it symbolises hope and resilience for the entire community.

Several roads in the Western Division are currently closed due to flooding while surface flooding is impacting portions of Kings Highway, but Queens Highway remains accessible. The Fiji Roads Authority is advising people not to travel to the Western Division due to heavy rain and flooding. In Sigatoka, Emuri Road, Ciri Road, Nabaka Road, Nasaucoko Road, Bukuya Road and Wauosi Road are closed. In Nadi, the Wailoko Road Junction, Mate Road, Narendra Singh Road 1st Crossing and Keolaiya Road Crossing are closed. Vaivai Road 1st Crossing, Saru Back Road, Navula Road, Vuda Back Road 2nd Bridge and 1st Crossing, Drasa Dam Road, Vakabuli Paipai Road, Nacilau Road 1st Cross Culvert, Buabua Road Junction, Matawalu Road 2nd and 3rd Crossing are closed in Lautoka. Varadoli Cemetery Crossing in Ba, Veisaru Road 1st Timber Bridge, Vunisamaloa Road, Vunisamaloa Flat, Votua Road, Maururu Road,Nadhari Road, Moto Road, Sorokoba Road, Moto Road, Toge Road, Koula Road, Namosau Bridge, the bridge on Rarawai Road are closed in Ba due to flooding. In Tavua Matacawa Road 1st Crossing, Dramasi Road 1st Crossing, Naseyani Road, Vitivanua Crossing No.1, Yaladro Road, Qalela Road 1st Crossing, Kings Road in Tavua and from Shop N Save to Yaladro Junction and Nadarivatu Road are closed. Balata Road in Tavua to Narara Road (1st and 2nd Crossing in Rakiraki) and Vitiri Road, Dreketi Road, Vunikavikaloa Road, Namunamu Road, Nakorotubu Road, Korotale Road, Barotu Road, Kings Road in Rakiraki, Vunitogoloa Bridge, Rakiraki Access Road are closed. Naqiri Crossing and Qelekuro Crossing in Dawasamu Road, Tailevu while Colata Coco Crossing in Korovou and Waisa Crossing along Nasaibitu Road are closed. Please exercise extreme caution when traveling on these roads, as there may be washouts and debris on the roadways. Source: Fiji Village

The streets and roads of the National Capital District were generally quiet and mostly empty today as most people stayed home for Christmas Celebrations today. However, despite the empty streets and roads, ATM machines at some shopping centres that were open today had long queues. Shoppers doing last minute shopping for Christmas packed the few shops that were opened today, and the few shops that opened today had very long queues at the checkout counters today. Even the parking lot spaces were all full, with vehicles lining up to secure the next available spot at the car park area. However, despite the business of the shopping centres, when you get on the road its quiet and empty again. With the Royal Papua New Guinea Police and the PNG Defence Force working together this festive season, most people who often cause nuisance were not seen out and about on the streets. Even the Gordons area was quiet and peaceful, despite the busy scenario where many people went in to do market shopping and shopping for live chickens for a typical PNG feast, the place was trouble free. The work put together by Police, PNGDF and the City Wardens has resulted in the fairly quiet and peaceful Christmas in the Nations Capital thus far. We can only hope it remains that way for the Christmas night as well.

With so much regret, the Transport and Civil Aviation Minster Walter Schnaubelt has announced tragic news regarding the plane P2 -SAM. Minister Schnaubelt highlighted that the rescue and medical team finally reached the crash site of P2- SAM, and doctors have confirmed that there were no survivors. “It’s now confirmed that all five passengers on board including the pilot died on impact when the plane ran into the thick forest and mountainous terrain en-route to Nadzab airport, Lae around 10:30am on the 22nd of December, 2024.” “As Minister and all agencies under my portfolio, we grieve with the family of the deceased and pass our sincere condolences to those families who lost loved ones on this tragic flight between Wasu airstrip and Nadzab airport, Morobe province.” Minister stated that the Accident Investigation Commission (AIC) has commenced an investigation into this occurrence (reference: AIC 24-1003), in accordance with Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation. Minister has outlined brief facts surrounding the tragic incident: A Britten Norman BN-2B-26 Islander aircraft, registered P2-SAM, owned and operated by North Coast Aviation Limited, departed Wasu Airstrip at 10:12 am on a single pilot charter flight with four passengers on board, en route to Nadzab, with an estimated arrival time of 10:47 am.  At 10:30 am, the NiuSky Pacific Limited’s Aviation Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC) received a distress signal from the aircraft. An emergency Distress Phase was subsequently declared, and the ARCC was activated to conduct the Search and Rescue (SAR) of the aircraft. The signal included a Position Update Alert with coordinates in the Sapmanga Area, Morobe province. He added that in coordination with NiuSky Pacific Limited, a search was conducted with the assistance of an air operator (Manolos Aviation) based in Morobe. Unfortunately, due to the weather in the area, the search had to be discontinued and resumed the next morning, Monday 23 December 2023, and the accident site was located at 8:52 am. “A team of investigators was deployed on Monday 23 December 2023 to Lae to conduct investigations out of the North Coast Aviation's base and conduct on-site investigation activities.” “The Aviation Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC) is continuing its efforts in rescue and extraction coordination.” According to North Coast Aviation Limited’s passenger manifest, there were five individuals on board the said aircraft: the pilot and four passengers. “It is with deep regret that I inform you that all five individuals on board have been confirmed deceased.” Minister clarified furthermore that the wreckage was partially consumed by fire. In addition to this, the wreckage is in a challenging terrain with high altitude and dense vegetation further complicating extraction efforts. The AIC is conducting assessments to determine the feasibility of entering the site for investigation. “The priority is the extraction of the victims, which must be completed before further investigation activities can proceed.” “If extraction efforts continue to be challenging due to the conditions at the site, the wreckage may need to be cut open to recover the bodies.” Minister further added that should this also prove difficult or impractical, an airlift of the main wreckage to a more accessible location will be considered to facilitate the extraction process, thus, to support this effort, the AIC has engaged a pathology expert with experience in aircraft accident sites to travel to Lae and assess the layout and condition of the victims. Additionally, a senior investigator will evaluate the structural integrity of the aircraft to determine if an airlift is feasible. These steps are critical to ensure a respectful and thorough handling of the victims and to enable the AIC to carry out its investigative responsibilities effectively. Given the challenging terrain and the specialised resources required for victim extraction and wreckage handling, the AIC anticipates significant logistical and operational costs. These include deploying trained personnel, engaging specialised equipment, and ensuring on-site safety and efficiency. “In this regard, we respectfully seek the government’s intervention to request additional funds for the AIC to properly conduct the on-site investigation and manage associate logistics” Additional support and funding are vital to ensure the integrity of the investigation and to fulfil our mandate under Annex 13 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation he said. “You may recall a similar fatal accident involving the same operator, aircraft type, and vicinity on 23 December 2017, while this historical context is noteworthy, the AIC emphasizes that no direct association has been made between the two events at this stage.” “Our investigation will meticulously examine the circumstances and contributing factors of the current occurrence to ensure valuable lessons are derived for future safety improvements.”

A Heavy Rain Alert remains in force for the whole of the Fiji Group. The Nadi Weather Office says a Northerly wind flow prevails over the country. They say an active trough of low pressure is expected to approach the group from the North and gradually affect it. The Nadi Weather Office adds that localised heavy falls may lead to flash flooding in low-lying areas. Stay with us for updates. Source: Fijivillage.com

Twenty New Caledonian children who suffered the shock of Port Vila's 7.3 magnitude earthquake have been repatriated from Vanuatu onboard a French military CASA aircraft. The special operation was conducted on Thursday, as part of relief operations conducted by the Nouméa-based French Armed Forces in New Caledonia in response to the destructive quake that shook the Vanuatu capital, where several buildings have collapsed. The group of children, from Northern New Caledonia (Népoui, Koné, Pouembout, and Poia), are aged between 8 and 14. They were visiting Vanuatu as part of a holiday camp organised by their sports association. They were supervised by four adults. One of them, Melissa Rangassamy, told local Radio Rythme Bleu upon arrival in Nouméa that the group was having a picnic on a Port Vila beach when the ground started to shake violently. "Children were falling to the ground, everyone was falling all around, it was panic. We told the children not to move. At the time, they were in shock. "We gathered them all, put them on the buses, and went straight up to a higher place," she said. "It's so good to come back home." The French High Commission in New Caledonia said a special psychological assistance unit was available to anyone who should need help. More flights to evacuate French nationals would be carried out of Port Vila to New Caledonia, French Ambassador to Vanuatu Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer said. Vanuatu hosts a significant French community, estimated at more than 3300 French citizens, including from New Caledonia. New Caledonia is also home to a strong ni-Vanuatu community of about 5000. French forces deliver hygiene kits at the Port Vila airport after a massive quake in Vanuatu. Photo: Supplied / French Embassy in Vanuatu One French national confirmed among fatalities A Vanuatu-born French citizen has been confirmed dead. He was found under the rubble of one of the hardest-hit buildings in central Port Vila. He has been identified as Vincent Goiset, who belongs to a long-established, affluent Vanuatu family of Vietnamese origin. The total death toll from the 17 December quake stood at 15 on Friday, but was still likely to rise. France, Australia and New Zealand: 100% 'FRANZ' Both Australia and New Zealand, through their armed forces, have deployed relief - including urban search and rescue teams - in a bid to find survivors under the collapsed buildings. The two countries are part of a tripartite set-up called 'FRANZ' (France, Australia, New Zealand). Signed in 1992, the agreement enforces a policy of systematic coordination between the three armed forces when they operate to bring assistance to Pacific island countries affected by a natural disaster. As part of the 'FRANZ' set-up, the French contribution included an initial reconnaissance flight from its Nouméa-based Falcon-200 jet (known as the Gardian) at daybreak on Wednesday, mostly to assess the Bauerfield airstrip. Port Vila is only 500km away from Nouméa. Later that day, a French PUMA helicopter transported emergency relief and personnel (including experts in buildings structural assessment, telecom and essential supplies such as water and electricity) to Port Vila to further assess the situation. The small military CASA aircraft also operated a number of rotations between Nouméa and Port Vila, bringing more relief supplies (including food rations, water, and IT equipment) and returning with evacuees. The French High Commission also said if needed, a Nouméa-based surveillance frigate Vendémiaire and the overseas assistance vessel d'Entrecasteaux were placed on stand-by mode "ready to set sail from Nouméa to Vanuatu within 72 and 96 hours, respectively". Embassies 'flattened' Following the Tuesday quake, four embassies in Port Vila (New Zealand, United Kingdom, the United States and France), all under the same roof, had been temporarily relocated to their respective chiefs of mission. Their offices, once located in a three-storey building, collapsed and were "flattened", the French ambassador said. Vanuatu's caretaker Prime Minister Charlot Salwaï has announced a state of emergency at least until Christmas. Source: rnz.co.nz

A cheque of K150million was handed over the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Minister Willam Duma on Thursday by the Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited (KPHL) Managing Director Mr. Wapu Sonk, the cheque was the final dividend payment for the year 2024. Before handing the cheque over to the State Own Minister, Mr. Sonk said this year 2024 was a tough year financially for KPHL, as they had to meet the PNG LNG Projects JV Cash calls associated with the finalisations of the connection of the Angora Field, raising the finance necessary to acquire an additional 2.6% in the PNG LNG Project and assisting the Government and the nation by importing fuel when the country was facing fuel crisis early this year. Despite all the additional projects taken up this year, KPHL was happy to make the K150 million dividend payment, that is in line with their 2024 Annual Operating plan. “This is the final payment for 2024, a year in which we have paid a total of K300 million dividends since the start of the PNG LNG Project exports in 2014, KPHL has paid a total of K3.2 billion in dividends to the state.” “In addition to the payment of dividends since 2014, KPHL has paid the State more than K1.1 billion in return of capital, which is part payment of the Kroton equity on behalf of impacted landowners and provincial governments under the vendor finance loan agreement signed between KPHL and the beneficiaries in December 2016.” Mr. Sonk further stated that aside from the direct dividends and return of capital payments, KPHL has spent millions of kina on health, education, rural electrification and other infrastructure projects, including helping the Government deliver sports outcomes, such as the latest one being the NRL license for the PNG franchise to enter the Australian NRL Competition in 2028. “Kumul Petroleum is actively managing its four petroleum retention licenses, carrying out work that will make these more attractive to investors, so currently stranded gas fields can be aggregated and commercialized” “This expenditure will pay dividends in future years”, said Mr. Sonk. Mr. Sonk further added KPHL is also actively working with the JV partners, Exxon Mobil, Santos and Total Energies to further petroleum development projects like Angore, well drilling in Hides,Muruk,Juha and P’nyang. “Apart from its ongoing commitments, KPHL is also preparing to participate actively in the forthcoming Papua and P’nyang LNG projects, where we intend to take up our full mandated equity of 22.5%.” “We will have the necessary financial position and balance sheet to participate, which includes paying the 2% free carry interest for landowners and provincial governments,” he added. “Kumul Petroleum is thankful for the support received from Prime Minister James Marape, Minister Duma, past and present petroleum ministers and other key Government agencies that will enable us to continue to develop and expand our activities to fully exploit PNG’s advantageous position as a key energy supplier to the Asian market.”

There are conflicting reports of the official death toll from a massive earthquake in Vanuatu as rescue teams continue to scour the rubble for survivors. On 17 December, the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office reported 14 deaths. It said four people had been confirmed dead by the hospital, six others were killed in a landslide and four others died in a collapsed building. But on Wednesday, the disaster management office reported only nine people had been confirmed dead by the hospital and made no mention of the deaths it had earlier attributed to the landslides and collapsed buildings. On Thursday evening, Vanuatu President Nike Vurobatavu said the number of people dead was "around 16". One consistent figure is the more than 200 people injured, with the hospital saying many patients were being treated for broken bones. Meanwhile, Vanuatu police were urging people to come forward and report missing persons. A landslide near the main wharf of Port Vila. Photo: Development Mode / Facebook via ABC News Damage and destruction According to the Vanuatu government's disaster assessment team most of the damage from the earthquake had been to the Port Vila CBD on the main island of Efate. This area has been closed to the public and search and rescue operations were ongoing. Any buildings still standing had sustained significant structural damage. The Port Vila main wharf remained closed due to a major landslide. The two main water reservoirs supplying Port Vila had been totally destroyed and would require reconstruction; an assessment of the rest of the water network was ongoing. A boil water notice is in place for all of Vila. Power and telecommunications The utility company Unelco is working to restore power and water supply. Vodafone Vanuatu informed its customers that instant messaging on Messenger, Viber and WhatsApp had been restored on its mobile network. Audio and video calling via these platforms, however, was still unavailable by Thursday. Vodafone said its team was working hard to resolve these issues and fully restore its internet services. State of emergency A one-week state of emergency was declared on Tuesday by the president of the republic Nikenike Vurobaravu for the worst affected areas. Police had been urging people to adhere to the nightly curfew of 6pm to 6am local time. They had also warned of a greater chance of opportunistic crimes being committed after the disaster and urged everyone to look out for each other. Military evacuation Close to 100 New Zealanders are being evacuated on a military flight. The Boeing 757, with 93 passengers on board - almost all of them New Zealanders - left Port Vila shortly before 8pm Thursday and was due to arrive in Auckland about 11pm. Foreign affairs staff were planning to meet them on arrival and help with accommodation needs. The ministry said its emergency call centre would work throughout the night to contact New Zealanders who remained in Vanuatu and had not ruled out further evacuations. Commercial flights There were no commercial flights operating into or out of Vanuatu. Local authorities said on Tuesday they were closing the Bauerfield International Airport to commercial flights for 72 hours to repair damages and prioritise disaster relief flights. Passengers booked to fly Fiji Airways to Vila on Thursday had their flights moved to 21 December. Solomon Airlines had also indicated it would resume flying to Vanuatu from Saturday. Virgin Airlines has cancelled flights until Sunday and a spokesperson for the Qantas Group told the ABC they were monitoring the situation closely. International aid International defence and medical personnel, search and rescue teams and disaster response experts from New Zealand, Australia and France were now on the ground in Port Vila. They were helping local emergency response teams, which had been working around the clock since Tuesday's 7.3 magnitude quake alongside locally based staff at UN agencies and non-government organisations in Vila. Time is of the essence for the teams scouring the rubble for any sign of survivors. Evacuations from Vanuatu The first evacuation flight from Vanuatu to New Zealand was due to leave about 7pm (NZ time) on Thursday. NZDF said there were about 86 evacuees onboard the 757 plane, which has a 200-seat capacity, and includes New Zealanders and ''approved foreign nationals'". The plane is due to land in about three hours' time at either Auckland Airport or Whenuapai military base. Source: rnz.co.nz

Following a video that went viral on social on Wednesday of an innocent five-year-old male child mercilessly killed and dumped in a drain along Vadavada in the Nation’s Capital, the acting Director for National Office for Child and Family Services, the office responsible for child protection, has strongly condemned the heinous killing of that innocent little child on all levels. Acting Director, Mr. Jerry Wap is now calling for an immediate thorough investigation to bring the perpetrator to face the full force of the law. “I strongly denounce in the strongest terms this heinous act that show a ruthless and senseless killing of a helpless child.” “Such crimes against children are uncalled for in Papua New Guinea.” Mr. Wap added that the senseless killing of a child, who has the fundamental right to be safe and protected from violence is unacceptable under any circumstances. Mr. Wap who is deeply concerned about the way the crime was committed on an innocent and helpless child, is now calling on police and other law enforcing agencies to carry out a swift investigation to bring the perpetrator to justice. He also called on all community leaders and members of the community to support the police investigation team to ensure prompt and effective investigation so that the perpetrator and be identified quickly to be brought to face justice for the unjustifiable crime committed. Expressing shock at the indiscriminate killing of the innocent and helpless child, Mr, Wap said the National Office for Child and Family Services has the responsibility to uphold respect for the rule of law and to protect every child in Papua New Guinea. “The Lukautim Piknini Act provides the legal protection for all children who are the most vulnerable members of our societies.” “The vicious attack on this innocent child indicates that there are members of our societies who have no respect for rule of law and right to life for others.” Mr. Wap called on all parents and guardians throughout the country for care and close supervision of children who are vulnerable members of our families. Mr. Wap, who as the appointed officer responsible for child protection offers his sincere condolence to the parents of the child, members of the family and relatives who are in mourning for a loss of an innocent child at the hands of cruel and sick people.

Rescuers in Vanuatu will be under pressure to reach trapped people quickly, but there will be tough decisions if buildings aren't safe to enter, a structural engineer says. Buildings have collapsed in the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Port Vila on Tuesday, killing 14 and injuring hundreds more. Locals have been working to pull people from the rubble, with New Zealand's specialist Urban Search and Rescue team due to arrive on Wednesday to help. Structural Engineering Society president NicholasBrooke expected the death toll to rise, and said it was likely his colleagues supporting the rescue effort would have to make some tough decisions. He said experienced structural engineers would have to make rapid appraisals of damaged buildings - essentially eyeballing them - and judging whether rescuers were safe to enter. "Rescuers will inherently want to go in and rescue, and there will be situations where the engineer has to say, 'Well this building's not safe enough, and there's nothing we can do to make safe enough' and put it to the team leader that they shouldn't be entering that building. "Which will obviously be a pretty tough thing to be doing if you know that there could well be people trapped within it." Brooke said it was a pressured role to be in - analysis was necessary to keep rescuers safe, but it had to be done incredibly quickly, because getting to trapped or injured people was time critical. He said the current information suggested Tuesday's earthquake was similar in intensity to the 2011 Christchurch quake that collapsed the CTV building, killing more than a hundred inside. Based on the footage he had seen in Port Vila, he feared the worst. "It's likely to be quite a significant tragedy, the expectation may well be that the death toll would increase. Brooke said Vanuatu's building code was modelled on Australia and New Zealand standards, however he could not comment on implentation. He said buildings in Port Vila that looked like "they'd sat down" suggested some had "soft stories" - an out-dated practice where the bottom floors were weaker than the upper levels, and therefore collapsed more easily in an earthquake, while the top stories remained intact. New Zealand had undertaken signficant work - and expense - to strengthen such buildings Brooke said, but it was possible Vanuatu did not have the resources to do so. "The process of recovery and rebuilding is one that will require quite significant time and resources and needs to be made sure that it's done right."

The death toll in Vanuatu has risen to fourteen following the 7.3 magnitude earthquake yesterday. Reports say more than 200 people have been treated for injuries Port Vila resident Michael Thompson says rescue crews were seen pulling three people alive, though injured, from a collapsed building and this has offered hope to search and rescue volunteers.