QUETTA, April 23: Five tribesmen were killed during a gun battle over land between two groups of a sub-clan of the Magsi tribe in a village of Jhal Magsi tehsil late on Thursday night, some 180 kms south-east of here, official sources said.

"A woman is one of the victims," Tehsildar Aslam Raisani of Jhal Magsi told this correspondent over the telephone. For over three hours the tribesmen of the Mughalni sub-clan in Aamor village exchanged heavy weapons fire.

"Heavy weapons, including rockets and hand grenades were used for over three hours in the gunbattle. Law enforcement agencies personnel cordoned off the village and brought about a cease-fire," he said. The clash started after a dispute over a piece of land, he added.

The five dead persons were identified as Abdul Ghaffar, Mohammad Saleh, Sohrab, Ali Mohammad and Nazan Bibi. The bodies were handed over to relatives. The local administration has established contact with the elders of the clan, while the Levies force has registered a case against the rival groups and further investigation is in progress.