The attack reportedly happened on an island called Barkaram, in a vast marshy region that was once covered by the waters of Lake Chad before its dramatic shrinking in recent decades.

The marshy site where the massacre took place is now dry land — barely noticeable to visitors save for a roadside historical marker that describes the tragedy.

The circuit was built on a marshy area, and a methane gas leak is suspected.

Watch for hawks, bobcats, river otters and 90 bird species amid marshy grasses.

Sambas Regency, the county-sized region in West Kalimantan Province where Perapakan is located, is a major producer, with the birds thriving in its marshy coastal areas, rich with insects.