The police in Papua New Guinea announced on Thursday that at least 15 people have been killed in riots that erupted in the country's two largest cities, while the Prime Minister pledged to take strict measures against lawlessness.
David Manning, the Commissioner of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, stated that eight of the casualties occurred in the capital, Port Moresby, and the other seven in Lae, another major city in the country.
Violence erupted in the capital, Port Moresby, on Wednesday evening after a group of soldiers, police officers, and prison guards staged protests against the government.
Angry crowds set buildings on fire and looted stores during a night of unrest that quickly spread 300 kilometers north to the city of Lae.
Prime Minister James Marape apologized for the events, stating that acts of "lawlessness" would not be tolerated.
He said during a press conference, "This is your country as much as it is mine. Breaking the law doesn't achieve any specific results."
Marape noted that the worst of the riots had subsided by Thursday morning but acknowledged that "the situation remains tense" in parts of Port Moresby.
Television footage showed protesters in the capital breaking into stores through shattered glass windows and loading stolen goods into cardboard boxes, shopping carts, and plastic buckets.
Video clips also revealed buildings and vehicles on fire, leading to thick columns of black smoke rising above the most affected areas in the city.
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