Salvador Rebels Blow Up Power Lines, Attack Army Post

Leftist guerrillas struck the eastern town of Santa Rosa de Lima early Saturday, blowing up power lines and attacking the police station and an army post, Salvadoran authorities said. A police official said seven people died, but the guerrillas said 45 soldiers were killed.

In a brief communique, the army press office confirmed the attack but said only two soldiers were wounded. It gave no details.

The police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said rebels attacked the town, 111 miles northeast of San Salvador, at about 1:45 a.m. and withdrew five hours later after a series of gun battles.

The official, on duty at San Miguel headquarters, 25 miles southwest of Santa Rosa, said in a telephone interview that the rebels blew up power lines and set fire to a main transformer station and the military post before leaving.

Two soldiers, one civilian and four guerrillas were killed and two policemen, one soldier and one civilian were wounded in the fighting, he said.

The guerrillas’ Notisal and Salpress news agencies, in a joint dispatch sent by telex to news media, said 45 soldiers were killed and 15 wounded in the fighting. It did not mention rebel casualties.

The dispatch reported that 300 soldiers were at the post when the rebels attacked.

A government source, who demanded anonymity, dismissed the rebel report as propaganda and said there were not that many soldiers stationed there.

Telephone lines to Santa Rosa de Lima were down, and the contradictory reports could not be immediately clarified.