The killings happened in a village 10km from the town of Dabat on Sept 1 and Sept 2, according to Sewnet Wubalem, the local administrator in Dabat, and Chalachew Dagnew, the spokesman of the nearby city of Gondar.

A spokesman for the Tigrayan forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“So far we have recovered 120 bodies. They were all innocent farmers. But we think the number might be higher. There are people who are missing,” Sewnet, the local administrator, told Reuters by phone.

War broke out 10 months ago between Ethiopia’s federal troops and forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls the Tigray region.

Thousands have died and more than 2 million people have been forced to flee their homes.

Fighting spread in July from the Tigray region into the neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar, also in the country’s north.