Diphu (Assam), (PTI) : At least 23 Karbi tribals, including eight women, were hacked to death and three injured by militants on Monday in continuing ethnic violence between warring Karbi and Dimasa tribes in Karbi Anglong hill district of central Assam, a senior police official said.

District Superintendent of Police Pankaj Sarma said unidentified militants, with their faces covered in black cloth, waylaid two buses coming from Jirikinding to Hamren and the district headquarters of Diphu at Jengkha at around 8 am.

The insurgents then identified Karbi passengers and after asking them to alight from the Diphu-bound bus hacked them to death before setting their vehicle and the other bus on fire completely burning down the first one and the other partially.

The Hamren-bound passengers reported the incident at the Milu police outpost under Kheroni police station, about 130-kilometre from here, Sarma said.

The two long distance buses belonged to the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council. The SP, alongwith security forces, rushed there and cordoned off the area and intensified security arrangements.