Authorities in Uganda reported on Wednesday that suspected cultists have killed eight people in the country's western region.

Suspected cult members attacked a village in western Uganda, killing at least eight people, including a child as young as three, along with several of the assailants' family members, authorities announced on Wednesday.

The assault took place on Tuesday night in Mizizi A, a small village in Uganda's Kagadi district, approximately 250 kilometers (150 miles) from the capital, Kampala. In addition to those killed, eight others were injured, according to police.

"Preliminary information suggests that members of a newly formed cult, whose name is still unknown, targeted people, most of whom were their own family members, and attacked them with bladed weapons," stated the Uganda People's Defence Forces.

Security forces, including both military and police units, have been deployed in the area to pursue the attackers, and investigations are underway to uncover further details about the cult.

Among those killed were four children, all under the age of 13, including a three-year-old, according to police reports.

Two of the suspected attackers were killed by security forces as they responded to the assault.

Kagadi district lies close to the Kingfisher oilfield, one of Uganda's two major crude oil projects, operated by China’s CNOOC. There is no evidence to suggest the oilfield was a target or was in any way connected to the attack.