GUWAHATI, India - A landmine triggered by suspected tribal separatists killed an Indian army colonel and a soldier Monday in the northeastern state of Assam, a military source said.

The explosion took place in Sonitpur district, about 200 kilometres (130 miles) north of Assam's main city of Guwahati as an army convoy was passing through the area.

"The impact of the blast was severe. The vehicle was blown up, killing the colonel and his (soldier) driver on the spot," an army commander told AFP by phone.

Army and police teams have since cordoned off the area. None of the many rebel groups operating in Assam have claimed responsibility but police suspect the blast was the handiwork of the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), which is fighting for an independent homeland for the Bodo tribe.

More than 10,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency in Assam during the past two decades.