Raipur/IBNS: The Maoist ambush in Chhattisgarh Tuesday, which left 10 policemen and a driver dead, involved the use of a powerful 50-kg improvised explosive device (IED), said reports.

The IED left a massive hole in the road and uprooted trees.

The policemen of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) were reportedly travelling in a rented minivan that had no ballistic protection.

The vehicle may have been flung at least 20 feet by the force of the explosion. According to reports, the debris of the destroyed van fell 150 meters from the blast site.

Visuals of the ambush site in the Dantewada district show a big crater, which is 10 feet deep and 20 feet wide, covering the road's entire width, indicating that the Maoists used a huge quantity of explosives to trigger the ambush.

The DRG team was returning after conducting an anti-Maoist operation when the attack happened.

The special security forces tasked with combating Maoists are looking for the attackers, who have disappeared in the jungle, sources said, adding the area is a tri-junction of three states.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the "sacrifice" of the policemen "will always be remembered".

"Strongly condemn the attack on the Chhattisgarh police in Dantewada. I pay my tributes to the brave personnel we lost in the attack. Their sacrifice will always be remembered. My condolences to the bereaved families," PM Modi tweeted.

Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and offered his condolences to the families of the 10 policemen and the driver.

"Anguished by the cowardly attack on the Chhattisgarh police at Dantewada. Have spoken to Chhattisgarh's Chief Minister and assured all possible assistance to the state government. My condolences to the bereaved family members of the martyred jawans," Mr Shah tweeted.

The attack came a week after Maoists fired at the convoy of a Congress MLA in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur while he was returning from a public meeting. No one was injured in the attack.