21 riot police killed in Chechen landmine blasts

At least 21 riot police have died in a landmine attack on their convoy in the Chechen capital, Grozny.

Fourteen officers died and 10 were wounded when the first car in the convoy hit the remote-controlled mine, while another three were killed and one was injured when a car sent to reinforce the group hit a second mine.

Four other policemen later died of their wounds in hospital.

The explosion, which occurred near the headquarters of Chechnya’s pro-Russian police, comes after 11 Russian soldiers were killed and 13 wounded in two separate rebel attacks in the southern Shatoi region yesterday.