ABUJA, Nigeria — A suspected militant attack on two villages in Nigeria left at least 57 people dead and at least 70 missing Thursday, witnesses said Sunday, in one of the deadliest incidents in the country’s conflict-ridden northeast this year.

Abdulrahman Ibrahim survived Thursday’s attack on two villages in Baga in Borno State and participated in the burial of the dead. He told The Associated Press that the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad action of the militant group Boko Haram gathered more than 100 residents of the neighboring villages of Mallam Karamti and Kwatandashi and marched them into the bush. Later Saturday, 57 bodies were recovered there.

A spokesperson for the Borno government said he could not confirm the casualty counts. The Nigerian military did not respond to a request for comment.

The witnesses said burial of the victims was delayed because the military was unavailable to provide support in conducting searches for bodies. Most of the dead victims were found with their throats slit, but others had been shot, the locals said.

— The Associated Press