A teenage boy has been speared in the back during a violent clash between two warring family groups in a remote aboriginal community.
Northern Territory Police said the 14-year-old was injured in Ngukurr, a township of about 1,000 people located on the Roper River about 500km south-east of Darwin, on the weekend.
Officers received multiple reports of a “large disturbance involving members of two-family groups in the community” on Friday evening, and police said a number of people were allegedly armed with weapons.
No injuries were reported at the time, and tensions then escalated on Saturday afternoon, police said, with more “disturbances involving weapons” reported.
Then at about 5.35pm police were called to the local health clinic where the 14-year-old was taken after being speared in the middle of his back, and spoke with him and his family.
The boy was medically evacuated by CareFlight and is in a stable condition.
Police said they were investigating the incident, and “working closely with community elders and local leadership groups to de-escalate tensions and prevent further incidents”.
Header image: Ngukurr (Google Maps).
