Guwahati, March 26 (IANS): Poachers killed yet another rhino in Assam's Pabitora wildlife sanctuary Wednesday, even as two poachers were shot dead by forest guards in an operation launched after hearing gunshots inside the sanctuary, officials said.

Some poachers, however, managed to escape with the horn of the rhino.

"Our guards heard gunshots from inside the sanctuary around 1 a.m. and launched an operation immediately. They recovered the carcass of a rhino with its horn missing. Later, they encountered a group of eight poachers and fired at them," the officials said.

Two of the poachers were killed in the firing, they said.

This was the first rhino to be poached in Pabitora this year. Poachers have killed 11 rhinos in Kaziranga National Park and one in Manas National Park.

Pabitora, located about 40 km from Guwahati, has the highest density of one-horned rhinos.

Over 40 rhinos were killed by poachers in Assam last year, of which 35 were killed in Kaziranga alone.