PORT MORESBY - Ua nalowale kekahi mokulele mokulele liʻiliʻi e lawe ana i 13 mau kānaka me ʻeiwa Australia ma Papua New Guinea i ka Pōʻalua a ua hopohopo ʻia ua hāʻule, wahi a ka mokulele a me nā luna o Australia.
Ua nalowale ka 20-seater Twin Otter craft ma 10:53 am (0053 GMT) e hele ana i kahi mākaʻikaʻi kaulana ʻo Kokoda ma hope o ka haʻalele ʻana mai ke kapikala ʻo Port Moresby.
"I ka hala ʻana o ka manawa, ʻoi aku ka nui o ka pōʻino," i haʻi aku ai ka luna o ka mokulele PNG ʻo Allen Tyson i ka AFP, me ka hoʻohui ʻana ua hoʻopilikia ʻia nā hana ʻimi e ka wā ʻino.
Ua ʻōlelo ʻo ke Kuhina o ko nā ʻāina ʻē ʻo Stephen Smith he ʻeiwa mau Australia, ʻekolu mau Papua New Guinea a me kahi kamaʻāina Kepani ma luna o ka moku, a ua paʻa ʻo ia i "makaʻu nui" no ko lākou palekana ma waena o nā hōʻike o kahi ulia.
"Ke hele nei ma ka ʻōlelo aʻoaʻo a me ka ʻike mai ka poʻe kamaʻāina a me nā kamaʻāina kūloko aia kahi manaʻo ma kahi ākea i hiki mai kahi ulia," wahi a Smith ma Canberra.
"Ke hoʻomau nei ʻo PNG Airlines a me nā luna PNG ma muli o ko lākou hōʻemi ʻana i ka wahi ʻimi i kahi kahua ulia pōpilikia," wahi āna.
Ua nalowale ka mokulele i ka lekiō me ka mana o ka honua ma kahi o 10 mau minuke ma mua o ko lākou pae ʻana, wahi a nā luna, a ʻaʻohe hōʻailona i loaʻa mai ka beacon ʻimi pilikia o ka mokulele.
Ua ʻōlelo ʻia he mau lālā kēia hui no kahi hui huakaʻi hele ma Melbourne, ʻo No Roads Expeditions, a ke hele nei lākou i Kokoda, kahi kahua o kahi ala hele wāwae a me ke Kaua Honua II e pili ana i nā pūʻali koa Australia.
"ʻO kēia mau mea kaʻa ka hui huakaʻi o ʻewalu Australia e hele ana e hele i ke Kokoda Track, a me kahi alakaʻi huakaʻi Australia a me kahi alakaʻi huakaʻi mai Papua New Guinea," i haʻi aku ai ʻo No Roads i ka newswire AAP.
"E hele ana ka poʻe Australia ma ke ʻano he huakaʻi i hoʻonohonoho ʻia e No Roads Expeditions."
Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Smith ʻaʻohe hōʻailona o ka mokulele ma ka pō, a ʻo kahi "hoʻoikaika ʻimi a hoʻopakele hoʻoikaika nui" e hoʻomaka i ka mālamalama mua me ke kōkua ʻana o ka hapalua o nā pūʻali koa Australia a me nā mokulele hoʻopakele moana.
"Ke nalowale nei ka mokulele ma ka hopena o ka huli ʻana i kēia pō, ua hoʻopilikia ʻia ka ʻimi ʻana e ka ʻino a me ka ʻino o ka wā, a ʻoiaʻiʻo ua pōʻeleʻele i PNG," wahi āna.
ʻO ka haʻahaʻa haʻahaʻa i keakea i ka ʻimi ʻana o ka Pōʻalua, ʻo ia hoʻi ma luna o ka ʻāina paʻapū a me ka ʻōpala ma ke kuahiwi ʻo Owen Stanley ma ka ʻākau o Port Moresby, wahi āna.
Ua ʻōlelo ka luna o ka mokulele ʻo Tyson, ua hui nā helikopter a me nā mokulele ʻē aʻe i ka wahi me ka ʻole o ka lanakila.
"Ke keʻakeʻa nei ka ʻino i ka ʻimi ʻana a me ka hoʻopakele ʻana i ka wahi no laila i kēia manawa ʻaʻole hiki iā mākou ke hōʻoia inā he ulia paha ia a inā paha ua pae ka mokulele ma kahi ʻē aʻe a hiki ʻole ke hoʻopili iā mākou," wahi a Tyson.
"He nui nā helikopter a me nā mokulele ʻēheu paʻa i ka wahi e hoʻāʻo nei e ʻimi i ka mokulele no laila i kēia manawa ʻaʻole hiki iā mākou ke hōʻoia inā he pōʻino maoli ia."
Ma kahi o 19 mau mokulele i hāʻule mai ka makahiki 2000 ma Papua New Guinea, nona ka ʻāina ʻāwīwī a me ka nele o nā alanui pili i loko e lilo i mea koʻikoʻi ka huakaʻi ea no kāna mau kānaka ʻeono miliona.
Ua make nā pailaka o Australia i nā ulia pōpilikia ma PNG i Iulai 2004, Pepeluali 2005 a me ʻOkakopa 2006.
ʻO nā hōʻike e pili ana i ka palaho a me ka nele o ke kālā i alakaʻi i ka emi ʻana o nā kūlana palekana i hoʻokumu ʻia i ke kōmike noiʻi ulia pōpilikia i ka makahiki i hala.
