NEW DELHI — At least 16 people, including a prominent politician, were killed Saturday when Maoist guerrillas ambushed a convoy of political leaders in Chhattisgarh State, the authorities said. Among the dead were five police officers.

The politician, Mahendra Karma, a senior member of the Chhattisgarh Indian National Congress Party, was killed, and the state party president, Nandkumar Patel, as well as his newly married son were missing, Mukesh Gupta, a state police official, said in an telephone interview late Saturday night.

The victims were in a convoy of vehicles, escorted by the police, that was headed to Jagdalpur from Sukma in central India. As the convoy traveled between two valleys in a heavily forested area between 5 and 6 p.m., a bomb exploded, and 200 to 300 guerrillas opened fire, Mr. Gupta said.

Mr. Karma had been given considerable protection, including a bulletproof vehicle, but he was not riding in it at the time of the attack, Mr. Gupta said. Mr. Patel has also always been given tight police security.