Indian officials said "many" people have died following clashes between tribal and non-tribal groups in the northeastern state of Manipur. Violence in the province escalated this week with people setting homes ablaze.
EDnews informs via DW that authorities in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur on Saturday said they were investigating whether around 20 dead bodies were the result of several days of fighting in the region that local media say has claimed more than 50 lives.
"We have reports of about 18 to 20 deaths in the few days although we are still verifying whether these deaths took place due to the recent violence or related to some other incidents," Kuldeep Singh, security adviser to the Manipur government, told journalists in Imphal on Saturday.
"About 100 people were injured and were treated in various hospitals," Singh said, adding more than 500 houses were burnt down.
While an official toll is yet to be certified by the state government after several days of fighting in the remote region, the federal law and justice minister, Kiren Rijiju, told reporters Saturday that "many lives have been lost."
Clashes between tribal and non-tribal groups in the state erupted Wednesday.
The chief minister of Manipur, N. Biren Singh, issued an appeal on social media asking people to maintain peace in the state.
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