PNG soldiers fly out to help with Australia fires

Soldiers from Papua New Guinea flew out of Port Moresby on Monday to help with the wildfires recovery effort in Australia. The 100 soldiers were farwelled by Prime Minister James Marape and Australian officials before boarding a plane for their three-month deployment, expected to be mainly in Victoria state.

One soldier said he's excited to be repaying Australia for its past help during natural disasters in Papua New Guinea. The troops, who are mainly engineers, will be working with Australian Defence Force personnel in clearing roads and fire breaks, local media reported.