Explosion in Nepal tourist town

A bomb explosion in a marketplace in the western Nepalese town of Pokhara has injured at least 12 people, the authorities say.

Two of those injured in the blast are said to be in a critical condition.

Security officials believe Maoist rebels were behind the attack. Pokhara is a focal point for tourists and trekkers visiting Nepal.

The rebels say eight of their fighters were killed in a clash with security forces in Rupandehi district on Sunday.

However, officials told the AFP news agency that they have recovered the bodies of 16 rebels after the clash in which they say 12 soldiers were injured.

'Fiercest' clash

Monday's bomb in Pokhara was targeted at a patrolling security vehicle, officials say.

Violence has escalated in Nepal over the past month

On Saturday six people were injured in a blast in Pokhara. The rebels have apologised for that attack.

Violence has escalated in Nepal after the rebels called off a four-month unilateral truce in January.

The BBC's Navin Singh Khadka in Kathmandu said Sunday's clash in Rupandehi was one of the fiercest ones in the area in recent times.

In a separate incident, three soldiers and one civilian were killed in a rebel attack in Kavre district - north-east of the national capital, Kathmandu - on Monday, officials said.

Nepal's armed forces have launched a major offensive against the rebels in the mountainous south-western region, authorities have said.

More than 13,000 people have died in the decade-long Maoist insurgency in the country.