Davao City, Philippines - Six soldiers were killed when a landmine planted by communist rebels exploded in the southern Philippines, an army battalion commander said Saturday.

Lieutenant Colonel Manuel Sequitin said the incident occurred Friday in a remote village near Mabini town in Compostela Valley province, 990 kilometres south of Manila.

Sequitin said victims were making preparations for a medical mission next month in the village when they tripped over the landmine, causing it to explode.

He said two other soldiers were wounded in the explosion.

Communist rebels have been fighting the government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia. (dpa)