NEW DELHI : A landmine blast killed four policemen in southeastern India on Wednesday, a senior officer said, with Maoist rebels suspected of being behind the latest attack in the restive region.
A vehicle carrying 13 police officers hit the landmine as it travelled through Koraput district near the border between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh states.
Local police chief S. Shyni told AFP that a "security operation is under way" but did not provide further details.
Images showed the charred frame of a vehicle overturned under a tree as locals looked on at the rescue efforts.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik took to Twitter to condemn the attack.
"Strongly condemn the cowardly act & condole martyrdom of police personnel in landmines blast. My deep sympathies with bereaved families," Patnaik said.
Thousands of armed Maoists - inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong - are fighting the government for land, jobs and other rights for poor tribal groups, with thousands of lives lost in the decades-old insurgency.
The latest attack comes after suspected Maoist rebels killed three women, including a 14-year-old girl, in an explosion in central Chhatisgarh state earlier this month.
