Three persons were killed and 30 injured as members of two communities traded gunfire and indulged in arson in Loni, about 24 km from Ghaziabad on Thursday night over construction of a house in a locality dominated by the minority community.

A mob pelted stones and indulged in arson, damaging four vehicles including three UP roadways buses and setting a police jeep on fire, SSP Deepak Ratan said.

The rioters, who were joined by Shiva devotees going to Haridwar,  blocked traffic for over two hours in the area.

The warring groups opened fire at each other leaving three persons dead and six with bullet wounds, Ratan said.

The clash erupted when a family was trying to rebuild a house they purchased recently, which was opposed by members of one community, police sources said.

The injured were admitted to the Guru Teg Bahadur hospital.

Additional police personnel were deployed in the area where the situation is tense but under control, the SSP said.