A landmine exploded under a packed commuter bus in southern Nepal today, killing 38 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 place is littered with blood, limbs are scattered around the site. We have got 38 bodies so far. Many women and children have been killed,” he said by phone from the area.
The explosion took place by the side of a river in Madi village in the Maoist stronghold of Chitwan district, about 150 km south of Kathmandu, they said.
“Some of the wounded are being evacuated in a helicopter to Kathmandu. Others are being treated at a local hospital,“ another officer said. “Security has been stepped up in the area and an extensive search for the terrorists has been launched.“
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.