Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | 37 killed in Nepal as bus hits mine

Associated Press
Monday June 6, 2005

At least 37 people were killed and dozens wounded today when a crowded bus detonated a landmine believed to have been planted by communist rebels in southern Nepal.

The bus was travelling on a road near the village of Badarmude when the explosion ripped it apart, an army official said.

Thirty-seven people died and 72 were wounded, some critically. Doctors at a local hospital were overwhelmed, unable to perform surgery on so many people, local reporters said.

Police suspect the landmine was planted by Maoist rebels, who have been fighting since 1996 to abolish Nepal's monarchy and set up a communist state.

The guerrillas stepped up the violence after February 1, when King Gyanendra took control of the government and imposed a state of emergency that was lifted in April.

Government troops moved in after the blast, searching for rebels and taking control of the area, which lies 112 miles south-west of the capital, Kathmandu.

"There was a small bang and then our bus was thrown in the air. The bus was ripped into pieces and many people were killed," one passenger, Khum Bahadur Gurung, 62, told the Associated Press from his hospital bed.

Another eyewitness, Surya Gurung, 20, said the bus had been crowded, with nearly 100 people on board.

More than 11,500 people have been killed in the communist insurgency to date. Sphere: Related Content