Police have recovered 64 bodies after fighting broke out between rival tribes in Papua New Guinea's northern highlands.
At least 64 people have been killed in inter-tribal violence in Papua New Guinea's northern highlands, according to media reports, with one police officer calling the killings the “largest scale” in the Pacific nation's recent history.
The killings began at dawn on Sunday in Wapenamanda district, Enga province, the Post-Courier reported, citing local police.
They reportedly involved the Amblin and Shikin tribes, as well as their allies.
Police told the Post-Courier that by Monday morning they had recovered about 64 bodies from roadsides, grasslands and hillsides in Wapenamanda.
The newspaper said the rival factions used “high-powered weapons” such as AK47s and M4 rifles in the fighting. The death toll is expected to rise further, it added.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said the violence involved the same tribes that were responsible for clashes in Enga province last year that killed 60 people.
“This is the largest scale so far. [killing] “We've seen it in Enga, Papua New Guinea, and probably all over the Highlands,” said George Kakas, a senior police officer in Papua New Guinea.
“We are all devastated and mentally stressed,” Kakas told the ABC. “It's really hard to understand.”
Police received graphic video and photos from the scene showing naked and bloody bodies lying on the side of the road and piled into the back of a flatbed truck, AFP reported.
The agency said the military had about 100 troops in the area, but security forces remained outnumbered and outgunned, and their impact was limited.
In the capital, Port Moresby, opponents of Prime Minister James Mara's government called for swift action, including the deployment of additional troops to the area.
“We call on the government to immediately determine where the guns and bullets inciting this senseless violence came from,” the government added in a statement, according to the Post-Courier.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also expressed concern.
“The news coming out of Papua New Guinea is very disturbing,” he said in a radio interview on Monday.
“We are particularly providing significant support to police training and security in Papua New Guinea.”
