Ten policemen were killed when their vehicle struck a land mine planted by Maoist rebels in eastern India, officials said on Sunday. The attack in forested Koraput district of mineral-rich Orissa state, about 550 kms (340 miles) south-west of the state capital Bhubaneshwar, took place when security personnel were on a patrol as part of operations against the insurgents, they said.
"We are confirming ten deaths, but it may go up" senior police official Sanjeeb Panda Panda told Reuters. The Maoists have stepped up attacks in response to an offensive that began late last year, which Indian officials say has for the first time weakened the decades-old movement.
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