Seven policemen and a driver were killed Wednesday in a landmine blast triggered by Maoist militants in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, police said.
Chayan Mukherjee, inspector general of West Bengal police, told AFP the police had just arrived at Kokrajhar village to search for rebels when the attack occurred.
"When the vehicle reached the area, the militants triggered the landmine by remote control," he added.
Local villagers had rushed the policemen to a nearby government clinic, but they were declared dead on arrival by the doctors.
Kokrajhar village is 230 kilometres (143 miles) west of the state capital Calcutta and located in the densely-forested west Midnapur district, bordering the lawless state of Jharkhand, a stronghold of Maoist rebels.
Maoist rebels have been waging an armed struggle for decades in the region against the government to secure land for landless labourers.
Two days ago, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya had visited the area and urged the Maoist rebels to lay down their arms and live as peaceful citizens.
Some rebels have been arrested by the West Bengal police in recent months and small incidents of violence by the Maoist rebels have taken place, but Wednesday's incident was the first major attack.
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