Ranchi: Maoist rebels blew up a bridge in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district Monday morning even as a strike called by them affected life in seven districts, police said.

A bridge near Tundi village connecting Dhanbad and Giridih district, around 200 km from here, was blown up by guerrillas in the morning, a police official said. He added that cane bombs were used to carry out the blast.

The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), meanwhile, had called a strike in seven districts to protest the killing of two rebels by security forces in Hazaribagh district last month. The seven affected districts are Hazaribagh, Ramgarh, Chatra, Bokaro, Dhanbad, Giridih and Koderma.

Normal life was hit in the districts as buses connecting rural areas to towns remained off the roads. The transportation of coal was also affected.

Maoist rebels are active in 18 of the state's 24 districts. In the last seven years, more than 1,200 people, including civilians and Maoist rebels, have been killed.

Source : IANS