At Least 15 People Killed in Land-Mine Blast in India - Reports

Two security vehicles were reportedly attacked by suspected leftist insurgents in the Indian state of Maharashtra on Wednesday, according to All India Radio News.

The powerful land-mine blast resulted in the death of 15 police officers and a civilian driver, local media reported.

#Maharashtra: 15 security personnel martyred and a driver of a private vehicle killed in a high-intensity land-mine blast at Jambhulkheda, in Kurkheda taluka of #Gadchiroli district.

— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) 1 мая 2019 г.

According to Associated Press, the blast was triggered by Maoist rebels in the Gadchiroli area of Maharashtra state, when the vehicles were approaching the site.

READ MORE: Maoist Militants Attack Railway Station, Abduct People in Eastern India

The news agency specified, citing its source in the police, that the insurgents had allegedly conducted an attack as revenge against security forces that killed 37 Maoist rebels last year in the same area where the recent incident occurred.

The Maoists, widely known as the Naxalites or the Naxals, have been fighting the Indian government since the 1960s. They are radical left-wing communists identifying with Marxism who conduct guerrilla warfare within some of India's densest forests, targeting security forces and government officials. They currently operate in a number of central and eastern states, including Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha.