At least 16 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra on Tuesday after a landmine blast by the Naxals blew up a bus carrying the army personnel.
The blast took place when the army personnel belonging to the CRPF's 192 Battalion were travelling from Pushtola to Gatta in Gadchiroli district.
The death toll is likely to rise as the bus was full of army personnel. Adding more woes, rescue team would take some time to reach the blast spot, as the area is isolated.
Naxals have attacked amry personnel several times in the past, killing many people. They killed 17 people and four policemen in Gadchiroli district in 2009.
On May 17, 2010, over 40 people were killed in Dantewada when they targeted a civilian bus on which CRPF men were travelling. It happened just a month after 76 troops were killed by the Maoists.
In 2011, Maoists blew up an anti-landmine vehicle in Katikalyan, killing ten army personnel. Several jawans of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) were killed in another landmine blast in Chhattisgarh.
