“I can confirm that four people have been killed and five are injured,” Khonghai said by telephone from the site of the blast. - File Photo

NEW DELHI: At least four people died in a bomb blast Monday in a market place in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, which has been plagued for decades by separatist militants, a police official told AFP.

Five others were injured in the explosion, which occurred just outside the state capital of Imphal, said deputy inspector general of police Clay Khonghai.

“I can confirm that four people have been killed and five are injured. We suspect the involvement of separatists,” Khonghai said by telephone from the site of the blast.

So far none of Manipur's several separatist outfits has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The remote state bordering Myanmar has long been affected by insurgent violence and is home to dozens of tribal groups and small guerrilla armies that resist rule from New Delhi and often compete against each other.