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11 police shot dead in Indian siege

DOZENS of heavily armed rebels stormed a bauxite mine in eastern India and held about 100 mine employees hostage before police regained control of the facility early yesterday morning, authorities said.

At least 11 police officers and four militants died in the nine-hour shoot-out in the Panchpatmali area of the state of Orissa, said senior police official M. M. Praharaj.

The militants were hoping to steal large quantities of explosives used for mining but they fled without them, Praharaj said.

C. R. Pradhan, director of the mine company, National Aluminum Company Ltd, or NALCO, said the workers held inside the mine were not harmed, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

The rebels were likely trying to disrupt the upcoming national election, which starts this Thursday, Praharaj said.

"We are trying our best to ensure that the polls are conducted peacefully," he said.

Pradhan said police had recently warned NALCO to increase security around the mine because of fears of an attack.

The rebels had buried explosives along the roads approaching the mine to keep authorities away, Praharaj said.

NALCO is one of India's largest aluminum exporters and the Panchpatmali mines are the company's main sources of bauxite, the primary ingredient in aluminum.





 

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