GAUHATI (India), Feb 24: Suspected rebels ambushed a police patrol in India’s remote northeastern Manipur state, killing 16 officers on Saturday, officials said.

Sixty armed police officers who had been supervising elections in Bishenpur district were travelling in a convoy of six vehicles back to the district headquarters in Bishenpur town when rebels fired on them with automatic weapons, said local police chief Jayanta Singh.

Police retaliated and a fierce gunbattle ensued, Singh said, adding that the rebels then fled into a nearby dense forest. Fourteen policemen died on the spot and another eight were critically wounded, two of whom succumbed to injuries in a hospital.

“The death toll may rise as seven others are critically wounded,” Singh said.

This is the worst incident of violence since the election began on Feb 8. Voting is staggered in the insurgency-wracked region to help security forces prevent rebel attacks.

Singh blamed rebels for the attack, but did not name a specific group.—AP