SYDNEY - Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea (PNG) James Marape on Thursday declared a state of emergency for 14 days in the capital Port Moresby after a series of riots and looting rocked the Pacific island country.

He made the remarks when speaking at a press conference held in Port Moresby.

"If you run from today, 14 days on, we will be approaching the next sitting of the Parliament and that gives us time to look at how Port Moresby residents could be living, going to the food stores or market ... Sorry, the state of emergency just covers Port Moresby," Marape updated on more details of the declaration while answering questions from local reporters.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 15 people have been confirmed dead after unrest broke out on Wednesday.

Eight people died in Port Moresby, while a further seven were killed in Lae, PNG's second-largest city, the media outlet noted, citing an update from Lae Metro Command.