5 Odisha police jawans killed in landmine blast by Maoists

Koraput: At least five jawans of Odisha State Armed Police (OSAP) were on Wednesday evening reportedly killed and 20 others were seriously injured when suspected Maoists detonated a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at Mogarguma village under Sunki police limits on Sunki-Salur highway in Odisha’s Koraput district.

There was no official confirmation from the Odisha government either on the reported blast or the number of casualties till this report was filed.

Sources said the death toll is most likely to rise further as many of the jawans have suffered serious injuries.

Preliminary reports said, at around 5.25 pm, - the rebels triggered the blast when a mini-bus carrying 70 OASP jawans was on its way to Angul Police Training College for further training.

The intensity of the blast was so intense that the bus was severely damaged and fell down 70 feet off the road.

Unconfirmed sources said the rebels after detonating the IED surrounded the injured jawans and slit throats of some of them.

After the blast, vehicular movement on Sunki-Salur highway that connects Koraput with Visakhapatnam city of Andhra Pradesh has come to a grinding halt with hundreds of vehicles getting stranded on both sides of the road.

Senior police officials have rushed to the spot.