Possibly hundreds of Christians are hiding in a forest in Pakistan after a girl in their community was accused of blasphemy.

Muslims say the 12-year-old deliberately burned pages of the Koran, while others say she innocently put non-sacred pages of the book into the trash.

Either way, the girl could now be subjected to Pakistan's harsh blasphemy laws.

One mosque leader in the neighborhood said if the girl burned the Islamic holy book, she "should be burned."

In Pakistan, defaming the Islam's prophet, Muhammad, is punishable by death and desecrating the Koran can carry a life sentence in prison.

Although details are still unclear, as word of the blasphemy charge spread, as many as 600 Christians left the area in fear of retribution.

Accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan have been on the rise lately.