Eighteen people have been killed in a brutal massacre in Papua New Guinea's Enga Province, near the Porgera mine, which has been closed for two years.
The local police commander, acting Superintendent George Kakas, told the Post Courier it appears to be the work of a deranged mob with no respect for the sanctity of life.
Kakas called it an hour of wanton destruction.
PNG police badge Photo: Supplied
The caretaker Prime Minister, James Marape, has placed Porgera under an emergency status.
He said more soldiers and police are being sent in, not just to Porgera, but also the other areas needing special assistance.
The Post Courier reports that of the 18 dead, five were women who were going about their normal lives when men, armed with machetes and axes, hacked them to death.
It said a violent tribal battle between the Aiyala and Nomali tribes has been raging and has severely affected the general election taking place in the area.
The tally in the massacre brings the number of people killed in Porgera during the past four months to 70.
Ambush kills four in Western Highlands
In the Western Highlands Provincial Police are calling on the those responsible to surrender after four people were shot dead and several others wounded in an ambush.
Western Highlands Provincial Police Commander, Superintendent John Sagom, has condemned the killings saying it was the "worst killing ever" in the history of the Tambul Nebilyer district.
Superintendent Sagom is appealing to all leaders and the community to work with the police to ensure justice is served quickly.
He said the suspects are known and he has commended the relatives of those killed or wounded for not taking the law into their own hands and allowing the police to deal with the matter.