Nine dead in Fiji as army searches for mutineers

7:30 AM - HERALD ONLINE STAFF

Nine soldiers are reported to have been killed in a failed mutiny at military headquarters in the capital of Fiji, Suva.

Members of the Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW) unit attempted to take over the Queen Elizabeth barracks yesterday afternoon, apparently in protest over a military investigation into their involvement in the attempted coup of May 19.

A local journalist told Radio New Zealand this morning that 6 members of the unit died in gunbattles at the barracks, as well as 3 soldiers loyal to the military.

He reported that Suva's main hospital was treating 17 injured mutineers and 7 civilians who had been hit by stray bullets.

The army regained control of the barracks last evening, after its commander, Commodore Bainimarma, fled to the nearby Walu Bay naval base.

The rebels released 5 soldiers they were holding hostage.

The army is searching for about 20 heavily armed mutineers who fled the barracks, and Fiji's Central Division is now under 24-hour curfew.