Three Russian servicemen have been killed and five wounded in the Chechen Republic in the South of Russia. Military authorities say they were on a scouting mission in the Vedeno district in the south of the region.

Reports suggest their armoured vehicle hit a land-mine, and then a group of militants opened fire with automatic weapons. The wounded have been taken to hospital, and a search has been started for the militants involved.

“An armoured personal carrier of the engineering advanced guard was blown up. An escort group came under fire from long range. A sapper’s commander organized the defence and put up an armed resistance. The shootout was over by eight o’clock in the morning. There are few roads in the northern part of Chechnya and all of them are busy. All cargos, especially essentials like wood, water, and food are moved on these roads. A search for the militants involved has begun,” Vasily Panchenkov, Head of the Press Service of the Interior Troops, commented.