Settlers die in India rebel raid

Separatists in the north-eastern Indian state of Tripura have attacked a Bengali settler village and killed at least seven people, police say.

Over a dozen heavily-armed rebels of the All Tripura Tiger Force stormed into the village just after midnight.

Police say they dragged several men from their homes before shooting them.

Reports say the rebels started firing indiscriminately when panic-stricken villagers tried to flee. At least 10 people were injured in the firing.

Officials have warned that violence in the region could intensify in the next few weeks, ahead of the anniversary of the merger of Tripura and the neighbouring state of Manipur into the Indian union on 15 October 1949.