Six villagers were confirmed killed and nearly 50 others were in hospital after hundreds of young men attacked shanty dwellers on land allocated for a power plant in Hebei Province.

　　The motive behind the onslaught remained unclear, The Beijing News reported yesterday.

　　Among the 48 injured, the lives of eight were in danger, according to the newspaper.

　　The villagers reportedly set up makeshift shelters on a lot near Shengyou Village in a southern suburb of Dingzhou City. They wanted to prevent construction work on the power plant as they were unsatisfied with the amount of compensation offered.

　　Witnesses said nearly 300 young men in camouflage gear and hardhats were bused to the site about 4:30am on Saturday.

　　They said the attackers immediately went on a rampage, using a variety of weapons including hunting guns, wooden clubs and knives.

　　A villager said he saw a man fire a hunting rifle. "Hou Tongshun, 60, was shot and his body was found on a road several hundred meters away," the paper quoted Niu Zhenzong.

　　Huang jinfeng, 44, said the men attacked everyone they found. She was hit in the face by a brick when trying to flee.

　　Some villagers reportedly fought back with farm tools at first, but soon gave up against the violent mob. Witnesses said the attackers stopped more than one hour later. Villagers then called police and ambulances.

　　The report said the villagers detained a 20-something man they caught in an earlier attack on the shantytown in late April. The man, Zhu Xiaorui, reportedly a Beijing discotheque attendant, said a friend invited him to join and was promised 100 yuan (US$12).

　　Shengyou villagers said the attackers shouted "Where are you, Zhu Xiaorui?"

　　Of the 13 villages involved in the land allocation, only Shengyou residents were unsatisfied with the money offered, sources said. Construction of the power plant has yet to commence even though the allocation was announced in 2003.