Days of tribal violence in Papua New Guinea leave more than 35 people dead, police say

Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A police official says days of tribal violence in Papua New Guinea’s mountainous interior have left more than 35 people dead. Police Assistant Commissioner Joseph Tondon in Enga province on Tuesday said the death toll from the violence blamed on illegal miners is still being assessed. But he said the toll is estimated to be more than 35. Fighting in the Porgera Valley broke out near the New Porgera gold mine, which has halted most of its operations because of the violence until at least Thursday. A United Nations’ humanitarian adviser for the South Pacific island nation, Mate Bagossy, on Monday estimated that between 20 and 50 people were killed in days of violence in Enga.