NEW DELHI  -- Some 20 people were killed when police shot at a group of sandalwood smugglers in a forestry area of Chittoor in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, said police.

A gunfight occurred between police and smugglers in Seshachalam forest at around 05:00 a.m. in Chittoor about 500 km from Hyderabad, the state capital.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Kanta Rao told reporters that over 100 smugglers and laborers attacked police first, forcing them to open fire in self-defense.

Some policemen were also injured in the encounter with the smugglers.