GUWAHATI: Six troops were killed on Sunday and their weapons looted after rebels attacked their convoy in a restive Indian frontier state, police said.

The soldiers from Assam Rifles were returning from a landslide disaster site when rebels sprayed their vehicles with bullets in Chandel district, about 120km southwest of Manipur`s state capital Imphal.

`The troops were returning from a remote area close to the Myanmar border after inspecting an area hit by heavy mudslides when they came under attack from separatists armed with automatic weapons,` a senior police official said.

The rebels were hiding on a hilltop and launched the attack before escaping with several AK-47 rifles and other weapons taken from the troops. One of those killed was an of ficer.

Herojit Meitei, Chandel police chief, said that extra manpowerhadbeen deployed to find the attackers.-AFP