Eight injured in Maluku village clash

INDONESIA: Eight people were injured in an exchange of gunfire in a clash between two villages in Tual, Maluku, with the police and military personnel deployed to calm the situation.

On Saturday, tension was still in the air as crowds gathered along main roads in Taar and Un Pantai villages, detiknews.com reported.

Fully armed police and military personnel attempted to bring the area under control, firing shots into the air to stop residents from attacking each other.

The cause of the clash remains unknown to authorities, but three of the injured victims came from Un Pantai village, while the identities of another five victims is unknown.

One Tual resident, Hasan Reniuryaan, said the eight victims had been shot.

"They're being treated at Tual hospital," he said.

Southeast Maluku Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Saiful Rahman confirmed the incident.

"Security on the border between the two villages' border is now under control. We dispersed the crowds," he said.

When asked about the victims, he said there were eight injured victims but could not confirm the cause of their injuries.

"We'll check it later," he said. - JP