At least 11 persons, including nine police personnel, were killed in a landmine blast triggered by suspected militants of the banned People's War Group in Chainpur area of Jharkhand's Gumla district in east India's Bihar state Sunday night, police said Monday.
The landmine exploded as the Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP) patrol jeep approached the site, killing nine policemen and two villagers on the spot, police said.
The villagers, hailing from Jamgain in the same district, were going to a nearby fair, according to the Press Trust of India.
Police rushed to the spot and a massive combing operation has been launched in the area to nab the militants.
Gumla's borders have been sealed and police stations in the area put on alert, police said, adding the situation in the area was tense but under control.
(Xinhua News Agency January 28, 2002)
