An extradition hearing in Calgary for an accused Guatemalan war criminal has heard that witnesses saw him kill villagers with a sledgehammer.

A Justice Department lawyer says the confidential witnesses saw Jorge Vinicio Orantes Sosa throw the bodies down a well.

Mr. Sosa, who holds Canadian and American citizenship, has been in custody since January and faces extradition to the United States.

He is accused of lying to immigration authorities about whether he had committed a crime or been a member of a military organization when he applied for citizenship.

Mr. Sosa, who is 53, is also wanted by Guatemalan authorities for his alleged involvement in attacks on a village in which more than 200 men, women and children were massacred in 1982.

The lawyer says there is evidence that women and young girls were raped and that infants and children were killed first.

The hearing is not a trial and the judge only needs to be satisfied a U.S. court has enough evidence to go to trial.

The hearing is expected to conclude Tuesday.