Reports from Algeria say that more than 400 people were killed in a massacre over the weekend in a village outside Algiers.

But the Algerian Interior Ministry has firmly denied the figure, standing by an earlier statement issued by security forces.

Massacre took place in a village close to Algiers

The security forces said on Monday that 103 people had died and 70 were wounded in the attack on Sidi Hammed, some 30 km south of the capital.

They said the attack was carried out by Islamic extremists on Sunday night and early Monday.

On the rare occasions when the authorities give information after attacks, their figures are usually lower than unofficial sources.

The claims of a higher toll have come from Algerian newspaper reports, quoting survivors of the attack.

The Liberte newspaper said: "Statements collected from the population give a figure of 428 dead and 140 wounded."

It added that survivors were still looking for bodies buried under the ruins of burnt houses.

El Watan newspaper said its sources agreed among themselves that 400 villagers had died in the slaughter.

Villagers said around 30 girls had disappeared after the attack, a pattern familiar from past massacres.

The killings took the death toll in attacks blamed on Muslim rebels to between 1,100 and 1,400 since the holy month of Ramadan began on December 30.

The carnage has pushed Algeria into the international spotlight and led to a flurry of diplomatic contacts to seek ways to end the killing.

The latest reports on the massacre came as the European Union confirmed it would send a diplomatic mission to Algeria as soon as possible to discuss the wave of political killings.

After a meeting of senior EU officials in Brussels, a spokesman said the timing of the visit would have to be agreed with the Algerian authorities.

A Canadian envoy arrived in Algiers on Monday to express Canada's concern over the slaughter.

Earlier the visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen reiterated Beijing's backing for Algiers and called for international support for Algeria's fight against 'terrorism'.

It is estimated that some 80,000 people have been killed in political violence involving the military-backed government and Islamic extremists in the past six years.
 

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