BUJUMBURA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- At least 26 persons were killed and eight others seriously injured in a gunmen attack on Friday night at a village in the province of Cibitoke, northwestern Burundi, the security minister said Saturday.

Burundian Public Security and Disaster Management Minister Alain Guillaume Bunyoni, who visited the village near the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), said the "terrorists" who crossed the border from the DR Congo killed 26 people, among which 24 died on the spot and 2 others died at the hospital.

The terrorists retreated into the DR Congo after the attack, said Bunyoni, adding that the Burundian government is in touch with DR Congo's leaders in order to plan a joint operation to fight against them.

He also "strongly" condemned the killings.

The Burundian government will pay fees related to the funeral of the dead people due on next Tuesday, as well as fees related to the victims' medical care, said Bunyoni. The government will also assist families of the victims of the killings, he said.