MIRAMSHAH, Jan 26: At least seven people were killed and five others injured in a gunfight between two groups in the Mirali tehsil bazaar on Wednesday. Four of the victims are passers-by caught in the exchange of fire.

The two groups - Bakht Raz and Noor Jehan - had exchanged harsh words over a petty matter a day earlier, reports said. When the armed men of the two groups came across each other in the main bazaar, members of both groups opened indiscriminate fire, killing of three people from one group and four passers-by.

The tribesmen killed in the gunfight have been identified as Naeemullah, Gohar Ayub and Naoroz. Three of the passers-by killed have been identified as Mir Sawar Zeraki, Zainullah and Attaullah, while the name of the fourth victim could not be ascertained.

Officials of the political administration rushed to the site after hearing of the clash to control the situation. The firing created panic in the Mirali bazaar and traffic on the Miramshah road remained suspended for several hours.