A United Nations armoured vehicle drives through Bira, on May 3, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

BANGUI — At least 22 people were killed and several others wounded in an armed attack Thursday in the northwest of the Central African Republic, according to local authorities.

An outpost of the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) in the village of Nzakoundou in Ngaoundaye, a sub-prefecture of Lim-pende was attacked early on Thursday by armed men, causing 22 deaths, including 21 civilians and one FACA member, besides several other injuries, according to Ernest Bonang, a Ngaoundaye official.

READ MORE: Warnings as deadly Central African Republic violence returns

The village is located about 35 km from Ngaoundaye.

The death toll is expected to rise as several injuries were serious and there were missing persons.