Papua New Guinea: At least eight dead after major rioting and looting

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Watch: Streets overrun by looters in Port Moresby

At least eight people have died after major rioting and unrest hit Papua New Guinea's capital, Port Moresby.

Shops and cars were set on fire and supermarkets looted after police went on strike over a pay dispute.

The absence of police on Wednesday encouraged people from the city's outskirts to ransack shops and cause wider destruction, locals told the BBC.

It follows wider tensions in Papua New Guinea over rising costs and high unemployment.

Prime Minister James Marape addressed the nation on Thursday apologising for the incident, but saying lawlessness would not be tolerated.

"Breaking the law does not achieve certain outcomes," he told the public.

While most of the violence had been curbed by Wednesday evening, after soldiers were deployed and police resumed duty, Mr Marape acknowledged that the situation was "still tense".

The Port Moresby General Hospital had confirmed eight deaths in the capital, while another seven people were reported to have died in the city of Lae, Papua New Guinea's second largest.

"We have seen unprecedented level of strife in our city, something that has never happened before in the history of our city and our country," National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop said in a radio address on Wednesday, according to a Reuters report.

He said the looting had largely been carried out by "opportunists". Some violence was also recorded to have been carried out by police demonstrators.

The unrest was triggered after police and other public servants staged a protest strike outside parliament on Wednesday, after discovering their pay had been reduced by up to 50% in their latest pay-check.

In response, Prime Minister James Marape said the pay cut was an