Kenya: At least 48 people hacked or burned to death in ethnic clashes

At least 48 people have been hacked or burned to death in ethnic clashes in Kenya's Tana River district.

Most of the dead from the attacks, which took place late Tuesday between the Pokomo and Orma ethnic groups, were women and children, Agence France-Presse reported, quoting Kenyan police.

Police said 34 people were hacked to death with machetes, and 14 people were burned alive. 

AFP described it as the worst single attack since the deadly violence that erupted in Kenya after the presidential election four years ago.

More from GlobalPost: London Olympics: Why Kenyans always win the marathon

The clashes happened in the Tana River area in Kenya's southeastern Coast province, some 185 miles from the capital Nairobi.

The Pokomo and Orma communities have a long history of fighting over land and water resources, in what is one of the poorest regions of Kenya, the BBC said. 

However, the BBC added, the violence is rarely on such a tragic scale.

According to Capital FM, a Kenyan broadcaster, the Pokomo are a largely settled agricultural people, planting crops along the river, while the Orma are largely cattle-herding pastoralists.

More from GlobalPost: Nairobi graffiti artists paint protests