Two dead in Alotau highway robbery

A PMV robbed by thugs crashed, killing two women along Alotau's Northcoast highway (Image: Supplied)

The public in Alotau are urging police to step up highway patrols during this festive season after a tragic robbery resulted in two deaths.

An elderly woman and a three-year-old female child have died after their vehicle capsized downhill along Alotau's north coast highway last Monday.

Police investigations had stalled immediate information coming out of the tragic highway robbery that saw two deaths, leaving at least three others badly injured.

They were passengers from Gidagida on their way into town when their PMV was fired upon by a gang of over 10, a female robber amongst them.

Some of the inured passengers badly wounded from the incident (Image: Supplied)

Reports from Police suggest the vehicle was climbing a hill, and once fired upon, the driver tried to reverse the vehicle down to safety, only passengers had panicked and moved to one side causing an imbalance and resulting in the truck overturning.

The gang members, armed with homemade guns and bush knives, reportedly proceeded to ransack the capsized vehicle before making a getaway into nearby bushes and tracks.

A manhunt is now out for the gang, PPC Chief Inspector Benjamin Kua says they've been identified and arrests are in order.

The incident had sparked uproar in Alotau earlier this week, the public urging Police to step up highway patrols.