MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Police say 53 men have been massacred in tribal violence in Papua New Guinea, Australian state media reported on Monday.

The men were shot dead in an ambush in Enga province in the remote highlands region of the South Pacific island nation, Australian Broadcasting Corp reported.

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, ABC reported.

It was not clear from the report when the massacre took place.