At least 20 may have died in violence near a gold mine in Papua New Guinea, local media reports By Reuters
SYDNEY – A violent attack near the Barrick Gold (NYSE: ) Porgera gold mine in Papua New Guinea (PNG) may have killed at least 20 people and forced women and children to flee the region, local media reported.
Papua New Guinea has given police emergency powers, including the use of lethal force, to quell violence in Porgera between illegal immigrants living near a gold mine and local landowners, the Post-Courier and The National newspapers reported late Sunday.
Police at Barrick Gold and PNG did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Many schools, hospitals, banks and other government facilities in the states have been closed due to the violence, the Post-Courier reported.
The Pacific country north of Australia, home to hundreds of tribes and languages, has a long history of tribal wars. However, violence has been rampant in the past decade as locals have exchanged bows and arrows for military rifles and elections have exacerbated existing ethnic divisions.
Violent attacks in three remote villages in July in the north of the country killed 26 people, including 16 children, according to the United Nations.
