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Police believe the men were shot dead in an ambush in Enga Province, in a major escalation of tribal fighting in the region.
Local police believe it could be the largest massacre in PNG's highlands in recent history.
Graphic videos and photos have emerged of the bodies of the men loaded onto a police truck.
Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary Acting Superintendent George Kakas said officers who responded were "devastated".
"This is by far the largest (killing) I've seen in Enga, maybe in all of Highlands as well, in Papua New Guinea," he said.
"We're all devastated, we're all mentally stressed out. It's really hard to comprehend."
Facing escalating tribal fighting, Enga Province was put into lockdown for several months last year.
Police had been trying to stop the supply of firearms and ammunition into the region, which was supercharging the deadly violence.
It is understood this tribal fight involves the same tribes that killed more than 60 people last year.
Acting Superintendent Kakas said one of the tribes, along with their allies and mercenaries, were on their way to attack a neighbouring tribe when they were ambushed.
"These tribesmen have been killed all over the countryside, all over the bush," he said.
"Police and defence forces have had to go in to do their best to quell the situation at their own risk.
"We started collecting bodies, scattered all over the battlefield, the roads, the riverside … and they were loaded onto police trucks and taken to the hospital."
He said authorities were still counting "those who were shot, injured and ran off into the bushes" and that more people could have died in the bushes.
"We presume the numbers will go up to 60 or 65," he said.
Police have urged for calm in the province.
Enga Governor Peter Ipatas said there was a warning that tribal fighting was about to erupt.
"[This is] a very, very sad occasion for us in the province and it's a bad thing for the country," he said.
"From a provincial perspective, we knew this fight was going to be on and we [alerted] the security forces last week to make sure they took appropriate action to ensure this didn't occur."
On that occasion, the tribe from another village was blamed for a man's death and then ambushed his funeral, killing five people with bush knives and axes.
In the months that followed, a tit-for-tat retribution spiralled out of control.
As more tribes became involved, many villages were raided and burnt down.
Mr Ipatas said the province had been trying to manage the fighting, but with 17 tribes involved in the most recent escalation, it was ultimately up to the security forces to keep the peace.
"It's a very big fight that's not normally in Enga province. This is probably the biggest tribal fight we've ever had," he said.
"The police and security forces must take ownership and be on the ground, assess the situation and take appropriate action.
"Because we know who is fighting, it's not like this is criminal activity that pops up. This is a tribal fight, we know which people are involved."
Police Commissioner David Manning said the proliferation of small weapons in the area has been a concern for police for some time.
"This [massacre] is only made possible through the use of many, many small arms and it is a concern," he told the ABC.
Commissioner Manning said the priority was to ensure authorities have a structure and strategy to respond to challenges in the area and provide a far more effective command.
"It's unfortunate two of our largest projects that contribute significantly to our economy [are] based in the one region," he said.
"These two projects are constantly at risk of waring tribes fighting around the perimeter of these projects."
- In short: PNG police say at least 53 people have been shot dead in an ambush in the country's highlands in a major escalation of tribal fighting in the region.
- Authorities said one of the tribes was on their way to attack a neighbouring tribe when they were ambushed.
- What's next? Police have urged for calm in the province as they investigate.
Police believe the men were shot dead in an ambush in Enga Province, in a major escalation of tribal fighting in the region.
Local police believe it could be the largest massacre in PNG's highlands in recent history.
Graphic videos and photos have emerged of the bodies of the men loaded onto a police truck.
Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary Acting Superintendent George Kakas said officers who responded were "devastated".
"This is by far the largest (killing) I've seen in Enga, maybe in all of Highlands as well, in Papua New Guinea," he said.
"We're all devastated, we're all mentally stressed out. It's really hard to comprehend."
Facing escalating tribal fighting, Enga Province was put into lockdown for several months last year.
Police had been trying to stop the supply of firearms and ammunition into the region, which was supercharging the deadly violence.
It is understood this tribal fight involves the same tribes that killed more than 60 people last year.
Acting Superintendent Kakas said one of the tribes, along with their allies and mercenaries, were on their way to attack a neighbouring tribe when they were ambushed.
"These tribesmen have been killed all over the countryside, all over the bush," he said.
"Police and defence forces have had to go in to do their best to quell the situation at their own risk.
"We started collecting bodies, scattered all over the battlefield, the roads, the riverside … and they were loaded onto police trucks and taken to the hospital."
He said authorities were still counting "those who were shot, injured and ran off into the bushes" and that more people could have died in the bushes.
"We presume the numbers will go up to 60 or 65," he said.
Police have urged for calm in the province.
Enga Governor Peter Ipatas said there was a warning that tribal fighting was about to erupt.
"[This is] a very, very sad occasion for us in the province and it's a bad thing for the country," he said.
"From a provincial perspective, we knew this fight was going to be on and we [alerted] the security forces last week to make sure they took appropriate action to ensure this didn't occur."
Up to 17 tribes involved in fight
Tribal violence has been rife in the Enga region since the last election in 2022, with another flashpoint occurring last September.On that occasion, the tribe from another village was blamed for a man's death and then ambushed his funeral, killing five people with bush knives and axes.
In the months that followed, a tit-for-tat retribution spiralled out of control.
As more tribes became involved, many villages were raided and burnt down.
Mr Ipatas said the province had been trying to manage the fighting, but with 17 tribes involved in the most recent escalation, it was ultimately up to the security forces to keep the peace.
"It's a very big fight that's not normally in Enga province. This is probably the biggest tribal fight we've ever had," he said.
"The police and security forces must take ownership and be on the ground, assess the situation and take appropriate action.
"Because we know who is fighting, it's not like this is criminal activity that pops up. This is a tribal fight, we know which people are involved."
Police Commissioner David Manning said the proliferation of small weapons in the area has been a concern for police for some time.
"This [massacre] is only made possible through the use of many, many small arms and it is a concern," he told the ABC.
Commissioner Manning said the priority was to ensure authorities have a structure and strategy to respond to challenges in the area and provide a far more effective command.
"It's unfortunate two of our largest projects that contribute significantly to our economy [are] based in the one region," he said.
"These two projects are constantly at risk of waring tribes fighting around the perimeter of these projects."
