Monday, March 20 2006 11:52 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Raipur: Two policemen were killed and 16 injured, two of them seriously, in a landmine blast and ambush by naxalites in Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh, police said today (Mar 20 2006).

The naxalites triggered a powerful landmine blast near Kolarghat about 100 km from here last night, targeting a mini-truck carrying armed policemen. While one policeman was killed on the spot in exchange of firing between the two sides, another succumbed to injuries in hospital, they said.

The condition of Sub-Divisional Police Officer Manoj Khiladi and Dongargarh Station House Officer R P Tiwari was serious and they have been moved to Bhilai for treatment.

Other injured policemen were being treated in Rajnandgaon - Chief Minister Raman Singh's native district.

Raipur Inspector General of Police Durgesh Madhav Awasthy, after returning from the spot, said the police vehicle was badly damaged in the blast. The gunbattle between the two sides continued for over two hours and the naxals' attempts to escape with weapons of the policemen were thwarted, he added.