Mozambique’s government has said dozens of civilians were killed in an attack this week on the northern town of Palma, including seven people whose convoy of vehicles was ambushed as they attempted to flee, writes Aljazeera.

Omar Saranga, a spokesman for the defence and security forces, told journalists on Sunday that hundreds of other people - locals and foreigners - were rescued from Palma, a logistics hub for international gas projects in Cabo Delgado province.

“A group of terrorists sneaked into … Palma and launched actions that resulted in the cowardly murder of dozens of defenceless people”, - said Saranga.

The exact number of people wounded and killed, or still unaccounted for, remained unclear, while most communications with Palma have been cut off. The town of some 75,000 people had previously been a refuge for people fleeing growing insecurity and violence elsewhere in the province.