At Least 53 Men Massacred In Papua New Guinea Tribal Violence: Police

Australian media say at least 53 men have been massacred in an escalation of tribal violence in Papua New Guinea.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — At least 53 men were massacred in a major escalation of tribal violence in Papua New Guinea, Australian media reported Monday.

A tribe, their allies and mercenaries were on their way to attack a neighboring tribe when they were ambushed Sunday in Enga province in the South Pacific nation’s remote highlands, Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary Acting Superintendent George Kakas told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Police expected to find more dead bodies among the wounded who had escaped into the woods, he said. “These tribesmen have been killed all over the countryside, all over the bush,” Kakas told ABC.

Bodies were collected from the battlefield, roads and the riverside, then loaded onto police trucks and taken to the hospital. Kakas said authorities were still counting “those who were shot, injured and ran off into the bushes.”

“We presume the numbers will go up to 60 or 65,” he said.