At least three people were killed and seven wounded after armed assailants ambushed a passenger vehicle in Jonglei State, local authorities said on Saturday, with several people still missing.

The vehicle was travelling from Uror County when it came under attack on Friday at Kuerkachni, between Pajut and Payuel in Duk County, Duk County Commissioner John Chatim Ruei told Radio Tamazuj.

“Three people were killed, seven injured and five children were abducted,” Ruei said, adding that several other passengers remain unaccounted for.

He said the wounded were receiving treatment for gunshot injuries, with three being treated in Duk County while others were transferred to Uror County.

Ruei blamed the attack on armed youth he suspected were from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.

A lawmaker representing Uror County in the Jonglei State Legislative Assembly, Gatluak Reat, also confirmed the incident but gave a different casualty toll.

“A passenger vehicle carrying civilians was attacked by criminals from the GPAA. Four people were killed, three injured and seven are still missing,” Reat said, citing eyewitnesses who reported that about 50 attackers took part in the assault.

Jacob Werchum Jouk, information minister for the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, said authorities there were unaware of the incident.

“We are not aware of this incident, and none of our youth left Greater Pibor to attack Jonglei State,” he said.

Intercommunal violence and cattle-raiding attacks are common in parts of Jonglei and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, where armed youth groups frequently clash, resulting in deaths, injuries and abductions. Radio Tamazuj