Passage: Syrian troops backed by the pro-government gunmen swept into the village in the mountains near the Mediterranean coast killing dozens of people, including women and children, and torching homes. Before the militia entered the village, the military bombarded Bayda from the sea with rockets.The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that at least 50 people – and possibly as many as 100 – were killed in the violence. Witnesses said some of the dead were killed with knives or blunt objects and that dozens of villagers were still missing. Later, SOHR stated they were able to document the deaths of 51 people. Another activist report documented 72 deaths. Opposition activists said that, although Bayda was rebel-held, only 14 rebel fighters were in the village. One opposition activist stated that the attack was in fact retaliation for another attack in a neighbouring area four days previously that had resulted in the death of several soldiers.Victims included Bayda's former village imam of 30 years, Sheikh Biyasi, described as "a government loyalist who alienated local people with his political views before resigning two years ago." According to one survivor, "even though he always opposed the protests, they still killed him." The Biyasi family was described by Reuters as suffering "some of the worst losses, with 36 documented deaths".

Question: How were some of the villagers killed by the Syrian troops?
knives or blunt objects