Fourteen people were killed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo overnight, in an attack blamed on rebels from neighbouring Rwanda, local authorities and the military said Thursday.

The attack took place in Miriki, around 110 kilometres (65 miles) north of Goma, capital of North Kivu province, with district administrator Bokele Joy telling AFP "14 bodies" had been found -- a figure confirmed by a military spokesman.

Joy blamed the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), a Hutu group regularly accused of serious crimes against civilians in the area.