Eight polling staff killed in Maoist blast in Jharkhand

Eight people - three polling staff and five policemen - were killed in Jharkhand's Dumka district Thursday when Maoists detonated a landmine as they were on their way back from a polling station, a police official said.

"Five policemen and three poll personnel were killed in the incident," Inspector General of Police Anurag Gupta told IANS, adding the incident occurred in Shikaripara.

Five people were injured in the attack which took place at around 5 p.m., he said.

Gupta said that Maoists were behind the attack. "It is a remote area, with the jungle on one side. It was dark when they were returning with the electronic voting machines after the polling for the day had been completed," he said.

Gupta said the injured included an assistant sub-inspector of police. He said the number of injured could be higher.