At least 53 people have reportedly been killed in tribal fighting in the northern highlands of Papua New Guinea.

The men were shot dead in an ambush in Enga province in the remote highlands region of the South Pacific island nation, the ABC reported on Monday.

Police in the capital of Port Moresby did not immediately respond to the AP’s request for confirmation.

The massacre was a major escalation in ongoing tribal violence in the region.

Images had emerged of bodies being loaded on to a police truck, the ABC reported.

A report by local newspaper the Post-Courier said the violence took place on Sunday and was connected to a battle between two tribes.

Security is a major issue in Papua New Guinea, with at least 16 killed in riots in the nation last month.