Deadly sectarian clashes have continued in Pakistan's north-western Kurram district in spite of a tentative ceasefire struck late last week, local officials said, with the death toll now over 130 as authorities try to broker a solution, Reuters reported.

Kurram, near the border with Afghanistan, has been a flashpoint for sectarian tensions for decades. They spilled over into a fresh wave of attacks last month when clashes between Sunnis and Shias left dozens dead.

District administration official Wajid Hussain said 133 people had been killed in the attacks in the last week and a half.

"The district administration and other relevant authorities have initiated efforts to stop fighting between the two communities but there is no breakthrough yet," he said.

A Pakistani government team mediated a seven-day ceasefire deal between the rival groups last Sunday. Armed Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims have engaged in tribal and sectarian rivalry for decades over land and other local disputes in Kurram, read the report.

Provincial authorities put the death toll at 97, with 43 people killed in the initial attack when gunmen opened fire on mostly Shia drivers and the rest killed in retaliatory clashes.

Chief Minister for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Ali Amin Khan Gandapur visited the area on Saturday for a large gathering of tribal elders and leaders.

"Anyone who takes up arms will be treated as a terrorist, and their fate will be that of a terrorist," said Gandapur according to a statement from his office late on Saturday, adding that security forces would remain in the area.

Residents and officials said the main highway connecting Kurram's main city of Parachinar to the provincial capital Peshawar was blocked, which had created challenges transferring wounded people to hospitals.

"Our medical team is working around the clock to perform surgeries due to the challenges in referring patients to larger hospitals in Peshawar and elsewhere," said Dr Syed Mir Hassan, from Parachinar's district hospital.

He added that they were currently treating around 100 wounded patients and had received 50 bodies during the violence.

Adani Group founder Gautam Adani responded for the first time on Saturday to allegations by U.S. authorities that he was part of a $265 million bribery scheme, saying that his ports-to-power conglomerate was committed to world class regulatory compliance, Reuters reported.

The indictment is the second major crisis to hit Adani in just two years, sending shockwaves across India and beyond. One Indian state is reviewing a power deal with the group, France's TotalEnergies, decided to pause its investments and political rows over Adani have disrupted India's parliament.

"Less than two weeks back, we faced a set of allegations from the U.S. about compliance practices at Adani Green Energy. This is not the first time we have faced such challenges," Adani said in a speech at an awards ceremony.

U.S. authorities have accused Gautam Adani, his nephew and executive director Sagar Adani and managing director of Adani Green (ADNA.NS), opens new tab, Vneet S. Jaain, of being part of a scheme to pay bribes to secure Indian power supply contracts, and misleading U.S. investors during fundraisings in the country, read the report.

Adani Group has denied the allegations, describing them as "baseless" and vowing to seek "all possible legal recourse".

"What I can tell you is that every attack makes us stronger and every obstacle becomes a stepping stone for a more resilient Adani Group," Adani said in the northern Indian city of Jaipur.

"In today's world, negativity spreads faster than facts, and as we work through the legal process, I want to re-confirm our absolute commitment to world class regulatory compliance," he added, without giving further details.

Adani Group's finance chief on Friday rejected the allegations, while the Indian government said it had not received any U.S. request regarding the case.

At one point, Adani Group's listed companies saw as much as $34 billion wiped off their combined market value, but the stocks have recovered ground as some partners and investors have rallied behind the conglomerate.

The foreign ministers of Iran and Russia voiced support for Syria on Saturday during a major attack by rebel groups, Iranian state media reported.

Iran's Abbas Araqchi told Russia's Sergei Lavrov in a phone call that the attacks were part of an Israeli-U.S. plan to destabilise the region, state media said.

According to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry about the call, both sides "expressed extreme concern about the dangerous escalation of the situation in Syria due to the terrorist offensive by armed groups in the Aleppo and Idlib provinces".

The ministers agreed on the need to intensify joint efforts aimed at stabilising the situation in Syria.

Earlier on Saturday, Russia's Lavrov spoke on the matter with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan.