Landmine blast kills five troopers in Bihar

Patna  : Five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers were killed and four seriously injured early Thursday when Maoist guerrillas triggered a landmine blast in a forested area in Bihar’s Gaya district, police said.

The blast took place in the Chakharbandha forest area, about 100 km from here, when CRPF personnel were conducting a combing operation.

“It appears that Maoists used a huge quantity of explosives to detonate the improvised explosive device,” M.K. Sinha, inspector general, CRPF, said.