A drone strike hit a market in the disputed Abyei region, killing more than 150 people, local officials said in accounts carried by the Guardian and NBC News. Yohana Akol Ngor, Abyei’s caretaker information minister, said the confirmed dead had risen to 153 from 73 and that the toll could still climb as recovery continued, NBC News reported. "The fire is still burning," he said.

The attack struck Amiet market north of Abyei town around midday Monday, the Guardian and NBC News reported. Ngor blamed Sudan’s military without providing evidence, the Guardian said. Diplomatic sources and an aid worker said to Reuters, as carried by NBC News, that the strike hit a fuel depot in the market that had been used in the past by the Rapid Support Forces. An RSF spokesperson did not immediately comment. Ngor denied the RSF is present in Abyei.

Abyei is jointly administered by Sudan and South Sudan and sits beside Sudan’s Kordofan region, a major front in Sudan’s war. South Sudan’s foreign ministry summoned Sudan’s ambassador, NBC News reported. The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei has warned that RSF activity raised risks for civilians and peacekeepers. Amiet market serves Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities, the Guardian said.

Medical supplies are scarce. Photographs from Doctors Without Borders showed wounded patients treated on the floor, NBC News reported. The strike is among the deadliest single attacks as Sudan’s war spills across the border zone.

Families searched among burned stalls for missing relatives as smoke rose over Amiet for hours after the blast, NBC News reported. Aid groups said the nearest hospitals were already short of burn kits and blood products.

What we know: Local officials report more than 150 dead at Amiet market. They blame Sudan’s military.
What we don't: Independent confirmation of the death toll and which force launched the drones.