Asia-Pacific

14 people killed in battle over land in India

(AP)
Updated: 2006-11-17 14:07

LUCKNOW, India - Two families clashed with guns and knives Friday over a land dispute in a northern Indian town, killing 14 people and injuring another three, police said.

The clash among neighbors occurred in Sitapur, 80 kilometers (50 mile) southwest of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state. The three hurt have been hospitalized, said Surendra Srivastava, a police spokesman.

"Country-made guns and knives were used in the bloody tussle," Srivastava said. "The heads of both families have died."

Possession over land has caused tension for years between the neighbors, and a brawl left one person dead in 1998. Both sides had approached a local court, but it has yet to settle the dispute.