Village raid kills 12 in India

At least 12 people have been killed in a raid on a village in northeast India, in one of the worst incidents of ethnic conflict in the troubled region in recent years, officials said yesterday.

Heavily armed tribal militants attacked the village of a rival tribe and set ablaze more than 20 houses, mostly made of bamboo and straw, and then opened indiscriminate fire on villagers.

A land dispute provoked the killing in the oil- and tea-rich state of Assam's remote mountains, officials said.