Four police officers killed by land mine

NEW DELHI, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- A land-mine blast in India's Chhattisgarh state killed four members of a police patrol who were preparing the area for the visit of the Indian president.

In the incident Monday, police alleged that Maoists rebels planted an explosive device on a road in Bastar district in the central Indian state. The mine detonated as a vehicle carrying the police patrol passed.

Indian President Pratibha Patil was to address a meeting in Chitrakoot, the Times of India reported.

Three other policemen were injured in the blast, the report said.

The BBC reported more than 6,000 people have died in the Maoist rebellion of the past 20 years.