The injured have been moved to a hospital, two of whom are critical.
Five security personnel were killed and seven injured - two of them critically - after Naxals blew up an anti-landmine vehicle in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit district Dantewada today.
The blast occurred on Cholnar-Kirandul Road under Kirandul Police Station limits when the security personnel were patrolling along a road construction route, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) SRP Kalluri told Press Trust of India.
The mine-protected vehicle, with 11 state police jawans aboard, was dispatched from Cholnar camp for security of the construction work in the region, around 450 kilometres from state capital Raipur.
Sources say the Naxals used a lot of explosives to blow the anti-landmine vehicle.
"A landmine vehicle was exploded by Naxals. Police officials reached the spot and took the injured to the hospital. The jawans replied to the firing. The Naxals ran away from there," said RK Vij, Additional Director General, Naxal Operations.
Soon after the incident, reinforcement was rushed to the spot and the injured admitted to a local hospital, Mr Kalluri said. A combing operation has been launched to nab the attackers, he added.
Today's incident was the third attack by Naxals on security personnel in Chhattisgarh in as many days. Late Sunday night, a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan was killed as Naxals opened fire on security personnel patrolling near the Chhote Baithiya BSF camp, said Jitendra Singh Meena, Kanker Superintendent of Police.
A gun-battle broke out between the security forces and the Naxals, who soon fled to the core forests, he added.
On Saturday, seven Special Task Force (STF) personnel were killed and 10 others injured when Naxals ambushed them in the forests of Pidmel village in Sukma district, around 450 kilometres from state capital Raipur.
The Naxals, on Sunday, also set on fire 18 vehicles engaged in mining work in Kanker district, which is 140 kilometres from Raipur. No one was hurt in the incident, police said.