Six policemen died and nine were wounded in a 20-minute firefight allegedly with Army soldiers Monday in Sta. Rita, Samar.

Killed were Po1 Wyndell Nodromor, PO1 Edwin Ebrado, PO1 Phil Rep Mendigo, Po1 Julius Suarez, PO1 Rowell Reyes and PO1 Julie Escalo, a police report said. They belonged to Regional Mobile Force Battalion 8.

Initial report said the policemen were conducting patrols and headed towards Sitio Canunay, Barangay Rosa in Sta Rosa when they "were waylaid with volume of fire by undetermined number of armed men which prompted the former to defend themselves."

An initial investigation said "the opposite side who initiated the firefight were elements of one section of Charlie Company of the 87th Infantry Battalion under the 8th Infantry Division led by 1Lt Orlando Casipit Jr composed of 16 enlisted personnel."

Chief Superintendent Mariel Magaway, Leyte region police director, said the policemen were "conducting minor combat operations."

The firefight stopped when police reinforcements arrived and soldiers realized what had happened.

Magaway could not say if the soldiers mistook the policemen as New People's Army rebels.

"We are conducting an investigation with our counterparts from the military to find out what exactly happened," he said. DMS