School explosion in west Nepal: teacher and 10 students injured

Suspected Maoist militants set off an explosion at a school Friday while children were taking a test, injuring one teacher and 10 students in western Nepal , an official said. The blast occurred at a government-run school in the mountainous area of Jhupreswor village in the Dailekh area, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) west of Katmandu , local administrator Khumraj Punjali told The Associated Press by telephone.

Photo: School explosion in west Nepal: teacher and 10 students injured

The device was planted in a ditch in the playground of Saraswoti High School . The blast occurred while the students were taking their high school examination, which are currently being held across Nepal . "The students were so scared, some of the injured students remained unconscious for a long time," Punjali said.

The teacher and seven of the 10 students were still in the hospital while the remaining three student had gone home. None of the injuries are critical, he said. Several policemen at the school to guard the examination rushed the wounded to the hospital.

Soldiers were investigating the explosion site. Rebel violence has escalated since King Gyanendra seized control of the government last year a move the king said was necessary to quell the communist insurgency, which has left more than 13,000 dead since it began in 1996. The rebels, who claim to be inspired by Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong, are fighting to replace the monarchy with a communist state, reports the AP.

N.U.