France declares emergency in New Caledonia

French government spokeswoman Prisca Thevenot announced the decision after a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday afternoon in Paris. It follows days of unrest in the Pacific territory and what Thevenot described as "scenes of chaos," with a member of the security services reported among the four killed.

The emergency measures will give authorities greater powers to tackle the violence, including the possibility of house detention for people deemed a threat to public order and expanded powers to conduct searches, seize weapons and restrict movements, with possible jail time for violators. The last time

France imposed such measures on one of its overseas territories was in 1985, also in New Caledonia, the Interior Ministry said.

"The priority is to restore order, calm, serenity," Thevenot said. "All violence will meet with an implacable response," she added.

France's government also rushed hundreds of police reinforcements to the island, where pro-independence supporters have long pushed to break free from France.

The Interior Ministry said 500 additional officers were expected within hours on the archipelago to bolster 1,800 police and gendarmes already there.