Bijapur: Eight Dantewada DRG jawans and a driver were killed in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur when a vehicle carrying security forces was blown up by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Naxalites on Monday.

The incident took place in a remote area of the district, which has long been a hotspot for Maoist insurgency. According to reports, multiple casualties occurred; however, official confirmation is awaited.

Providing more details on the attack, IG Bastar P. Sundarraj said, "For the past 2-3 days, security forces have been conducting operations in the border areas of Bijapur district, Narayanpur, and Dantewada. During this operation, we recovered the bodies of 5 naxals and 1 jawan had lost his life...While the team was returning, in Bijapur's Ambeli area, an IED blast was carried out by Naxals. 8 Dantewada DRG jawans and 1 driver lost their lives in the attack."

According to sources, the soldiers were part of a routine patrol when the Naxals targeted their vehicle.

Earlier, a gunfight broke out on Saturday evening in a forest in south Abujhmaad along the border of Narayanpur and Dantewada districts when a joint team of security personnel was on an anti-Naxalite operation, an official said.

Four Naxalites were found dead initially on Sunday, while one more body was recovered later, he added.