The World : Contra Ambush Reported

Nicaragua’s Defense Ministry said that five soldiers and seven civilians died in an ambush that it described as the biggest attack by U.S.-backed Contras since they signed a cease-fire with the leftist Sandinista government more than three months ago. A Contra spokesman could not confirm the report. The ministry said that a jeep and a military truck carrying troops and civilians were ambushed Monday in Chontales province, about 100 miles east of Managua. Ten people, including two civilians, were wounded, it said. Meanwhile, in Washington, White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said the Reagan Administration believes there is “a growing consensus” for further humanitarian aid to the Contras.