A bomb explosion has killed three Bahraini policemen during confrontations between security forces and "rioters" in a Shi'ite village near the capital, the interior ministry says.
Clashes frequently erupt near Manama between security forces and protesters from Bahrain's Shi'ite majority demanding the ruling Sunni Khalifa family surrender its grip on all key cabinet posts in favour of an elected government.
"Three police personnel died in a terror blast in Daih while police were dispersing rioters," the Bahraini interior ministry said on Twitter.
Earlier the ministry had said one officer and two policemen were "seriously" wounded in the village of Daih, on the outskirts of the capital Manama.
It said the security forces had dispersed a "breakaway group of thugs who diverted from a funeral route in Daih to riot".
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Witnesses reported hearing a blast in Daih during a confrontation between protesters and police who fired tear gas and buckshot to disperse demonstrators.
On Sunday, a policeman was wounded in a blast in the Shi'ite village of Akr al-Sharqi, said the interior ministry.
Arab Spring-inspired protests backed by Bahrain's Shi'ite majority began in mid-February 2011 and were brutally crushed a month later.
The International Federation for Human Rights says at least 89 people have been killed since the uprising broke out.
Last year the authorities increased the penalties for those convicted of violence, introducing the death penalty or life sentences in cases which resulted in deaths or injuries.
