SWABI, Feb 3: The timely intervention of district coordination officer and superintendent of police have avoided an armed clash between two villages over their claim to a mountain, said a police official here Saturday.

The official said the villagers of Purmolai and Naranji had taken positions against each other on Friday as result of a dispute over a mountain which was legally owned by Purmolai village but the residents of Naranji wanted to occupy it by force. The dispute had remained unsettled since a long, he added.

Fresh rivalry surfaced when some residents of Naranji killed a man from Purmolai when he refused to allow them to cut grass over from disputed mountain, he said.

He said the people of Purmolai had vowed to avenge the killing. They blocked all routes leading to Naranji and refused move unless the killers were handed over to them.

The officials said the situation worsened when both groups armed themselves and were all set for a clash.