DALTONGANJ (Bihar), Aug 20: Red alert was today sounded in extremist-hit Palamu district as 10 persons, including five members of a family, were killed in two separate incidents in the district, police superintendent, A K Upadhyay, said.

Upadhyay said that five members of a family were shot dead by over 200 heavily-armed members of the banned Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) at Tetariya village under Hariharganj police station in the district this morning.

The victims were identified as Kail Yadav (70), his wife, and son, Fulmatia Devi (65) and Suryadeo Yadav (35), besides his brother, Parameshwar Yadav and his wife, Bagmatia Devi (55), Upadhyay added.

Meanwhile, five unidentified bodies were recovered today from a place bordering Balomath and Panki police stations in Palamu.

Upadhyay said police suspected MCC ultras to be involved in the massacre.He said all the police stations in the district have been put on ``maximum alert'' and an intensive combing operation has been launched with the help of para-military forces to apprehend the extremists.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.