Fourteen residents of Musanze district were killed by armed assailants on Friday night in Kinigi which is adjacent to the Virunga national park.

The attack left 18 causalities, according to a statement issued by the National Police on Saturday.

The incident took place at around 9:30pm, according to accounts by some victims who spoke to The New Times. They revealed that the attackers were dressed in civilian attire with guns and knives among other crude weapons.

"I don't know where the killers came from but they attacked people randomly with knives at night,” said one of the attack survivors who was recovering at Ruhengeri Hospital

The survivors said the casualty list would have been more if security forces like the army and police had not intervened on time.

"The army and police successfully repulsed the attackers before they could do more harm,” said a resident.

Rwanda National Police said the assailants killed fourteen residents and injured eighteen others who are undergoing treatment. 

The statement went on to say that security organs intervened immediately to save and comfort the residents as a manhunt on whereabouts of the assailants goes on.

Speaking to The New Times on Saturday midday, Dr. Philbert Muhire, the director general of Ruhengeri Referral Hospital said the victims were recovering.

"We are trying our best to save them (causalities) and fortunately we can now witness some improvement,” Muhire said.