Madagascar authorities on Sunday were on the hunt for a gang of cattle rustlers that killed at least 32 people by setting homes on fire in a village north of Antananarivo. Army helicopters have been deployed to locate the suspects and help ground troops searching the Ankazobe area about 75 kilometres (47 miles) north of the capital, the defence ministry said in a Facebook statement. “The perpetrators must be found and punished according to the law,” President Andry Rajoelina said in a social media statement, describing the killings as a “massacre”. “The Malagasy army is in charge of rescuing the local population and hunting down the outlaws.” Police said 32 people were killed and three injured as a gang of about 12 bandits attacked the village of Ambolotarakely, in Ankazobe, on Friday.