At least fifty-three people have been killed in a massacre in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, local officials have confirmed.
The men were shot dead in an ambush in the Enga Province in the remote highlands region of the South Pacific island nation on Sunday, the ABC reported.
The massacre was a major escalation in ongoing tribal violence in the region.
At least fifty-three people have been killed in a massacre in the highlands of the Enga Province, in Papua New Guinea, local officials have confirmed (pictured is locals in the Enga Province)
Confronting photos and footage have emerged of bodies being loaded onto police trucks as officers gather at the scene.
The massacre was reportedly related to a conflict between two tribes.
Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary Acting Superintendent George Kakas said the massacre was the ‘largest killing’ they’d seen in the Enga province.
‘We’re all devastated, we’re all mentally stressed out. It’s really hard to comprehend,’ he told the publication.
Papua New Guinea sits just north of Australia, with Sunday’s massacre in the Enga Province estimated to be the largest killing in the area
He said authorities believed the death toll could reach 65 but some victims had run away into the bush following the massacre.
‘These tribesmen have been killed all over the countryside, all over the bush,’ he said.
‘Police and defence forces have had to go in to do their best to quell the situation at their own risk.
‘We started collecting bodies, scattered all over the battlefield, the roads, the riverside … and they were loaded onto police trucks and taken to the hospital.’
Acting Superintendent Kakas said one of the tribes had been on their way to attack a neighbouring group when they were suddenly ambushed.
Violence is not new in the province, with the area being locked down for three months last July to address ongoing tribal conflict.
The lockdown included a 9pm to 6am curfew and travel restrictions.
The measures were taken to help seize illegal firearms.
Enga Governor Peter Ipatas said authorities had been warned that such violence was going to be seen in the province.
‘From a provincial perspective, we knew this fight was going to be on and we [alerted] the security forces last week to make sure they took appropriate action to ensure this didn’t occur,’ he said.
Violence is not new in the province, with the area being locked down for three months last July to address ongoing tribal conflict (pictured is Enga Province)
