A 22-year-old man suffered serious injuries after being struck in the back with a three-pronged spear during a disturbance involving around 100 people in Wadeye, a remote Northern Territory community 395km south-west of Darwin. The clash, which broke out between two family groups on Monday night, is the latest in a series of violent incidents to hit the troubled township, raising fresh concerns about ongoing unrest and the strain on local police resources.

Officers responding to reports of unrest just before midnight found people allegedly armed with compound bows, spears and metal objects, and had to enter a residence to safely extract the injured man before taking him to Wadeye Health Clinic. A vehicle was also set alight after allegedly being surrounded by an armed group, prompting extra officers to be recalled to duty. The incident comes days after 13 people were charged with more than 50 offences, including riot, arson and endangering life, and after ten men and three women aged 19 to 45 were remanded in custody following a police crackdown on violence that has plagued the community since early August.