23 killed in feud between families in south Egypt

LUXOR, Egypt (AP) — A bloody feud in southern Egypt between an Arab clan and a Nubian family killed at least 23 people in two days of fighting, leaving bodies strewn on hospital floors and homes torched in its wake, government officials and witnesses said Saturday.

An Interior Ministry statement said the fighting in Aswan province erupted over the harassment of a girl and students from the two sides later spray offensive graffiti at local school. Vendetta killings are common in southern Egypt, where perceived violations of honor often spark violence, but this violence apparently raged while security forces did nothing to stop it.