Landmine explodes under Nepal bus, 36 killed

KATHMANDU - A landmine exploded under a packed commuter bus in southern Nepal yesterday, killing 36 passengers and wounding 72 in one of the worst attacks on civilians since a Maoist rebellion erupted in 1996.

The rebels, who are fighting to topple the monarch and establish one-party communist rule in the poor Himalayan kingdom, are not generally known to target civilians, but army officers said they were to blame.

"The bus ran over a landmine planted by the terrorists," an army officer said, referring to the Maoists. The government brands the rebels as terrorists.

The explosion took place in Madi village in the Maoist stronghold of Chitwan district, about 150 km south of Kathmandu, they said.

"The bodies have been torn into pieces, making it difficult for a body count," an army officer told Reuters by phone from the scene of the incident.

He said 36 bodies had been recovered, among them women and children.

"Some of the wounded are being evacuated in a helicopter to Kathmandu. Others are being treated at a local hospital," another officer said.

The commuter bus was packed with villagers, with many travelling on its roof, going to work or to local markets when it was hit, residents said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the rebels.

About 12,000 people have been killed in the nine-year insurgency which has plunged Nepal into turmoil, ravaged its aid- and tourism-dependent economy and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes in the countryside.

The country has also been hit by a political crisis after King Gyanendra fired the government and took power in February, saying politicians had failed to tackle the Maoists.

- REUTERS