Maoist rebels killed seven Congress party workers in a jungle ambush on a party convoy in India's central state of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, the state's party president told Reuters.
The attack is the latest in a decades-old insurgency waged by the Maoists against the Indian state, which claims hundreds of lives each year. Chhattisgarh is one of several states riddled with insurgents that regularly attack police, government buildings and civilians accused of being informers. Police told Reuters they were still investigating Wednesday's ambush and did not have an exact figure for the number of casualties. Local TV channels showed a vehicle badly damaged after a blast.
"Seven Congress workers were killed and four were injured in the attack," Congress state president Nandkumar Patel told Reuters by phone. He estimated there were about 25 vehicles in a convoy, which was ambushed, adding that vehicles behind his own were blown up.