13 police personnel were killed and two others injured in a landmine blast triggered by Maoists near the jungles of Bariganwa in Garhwa district of Jharkhand today.

Eyewitnesses said the police vehicle, in which they were travelling, was tossed up into the air when the blast took place. According to reports, some seriously injured constables tried to come out of the jammed vehicle but the Maoists fired on them from point-blank range.

Later, the Maoists looted the weapons from the dead and ran away from the spot after torching the vehicle. Additional police reinforcements have been rushed to the place for combing operations. (JUBS)