People at Alotau town street in Papua New Guinea. Photo: Danemo
A community leader in PNG's Trobriand Islands says there are unconfirmed reports that more than 20 people have been killed in tribal fighting on Kiriwina Island on Monday.
The Post Courier is reporting 30 Islanders have been killed in the archipelago and many more have serious injuries.
Kabwaku United Church Committee member David Mudagada said the fighting broke out from general election related issues.
"The fighting broke out from general election related problems. that triggered some other small issues, social issues that's why they started the fight and it's quite a mess right now," Mudagada said.
"What I heard from those people around the scene is that they started fighting from the government station and then they moved the people towards their villages and they are slashing them with knives and all this and then they retaliated," he said.
He said the situation is chaotic.
"The government authorities also at the scene right now they are trying to stabilise the situation.....then get the police from the Alotau, capital of Hamen Bay province and then they go to the small island of Trobriand Islands.
We are not sure when they are going to arrive, there were a couple of police officers there but they were outnumbered," he said.
A spokesperson for the PNG police said they do not have boots on the ground just yet.