CANBERRA, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Police in Port Moresby fired tear gas to break up an angry crowd on Monday as clan rivalries erupted into violence at a busy market in Papua New Guinea's capital, local media reported.

Hundreds of people blocked roads, burned tyres and hurled rocks at the seaside Koki market, after reports of a weekend stabbing fuelled simmering tensions between rival clans, Australian Associated Press said.

Dozens of police officers fired tear gas and warning shots in the air to disperse the crowd, while local community leaders urged calm.

The area around Port Moresby's Koki market is well known as a flashpoint for rival clans and youth gangs from around Papua New Guinea -- a country with more than 700 local languages and where people hold strong village and clan loyalties.

Papua New Guinea, a Pacific islands nation north of Australia, has about 6 million people, with about 85 percent living a subsistence lifestyle in traditional villages.

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