Seven villagers killed in DR Congo's Virunga park

Goma, DR Congo: Seven villagers have been killed in Virunga National Park in volatile eastern DR Congo after going to fetch charcoal, local sources sa...

Goma, DR Congo: Seven villagers have been killed in Virunga National Park in volatile eastern DR Congo after going to fetch charcoal, local sources said Friday.

Situated on the Democratic Republic of Congo's borders with Rwanda and Uganda, the park covers 7,800 square kilometres (3,000 square miles) of North Kivu province, of which Goma is the capital.

The men came from the village of Karambi in Rutshuru territory, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) north of Goma.

"We learnt that they had been tied up and killed," a resident told AFP by telephone from Goma.

"They were killed on Wednesday with machettes, their bodies were picked up today (Friday)," a local official said.