Many dead in Nepal rebel attack

More than twenty people have been killed in Nepal during an attack by Maoist guerrillas on a police outpost in a remote village.

Five children and two other civilians were among the victims: they died when the guerrillas threw a powerful bomb into a house.

Twelve policemen were killed in the fighting, as well as two of the rebels.

At least ten other police were wounded.

The attack happened on Thursday in the village of Theme in western Nepal, but poor weather and the remoteness of the area meant it was some time before the Nepali government became aware of the scale of the clash. A BBC correspondent in the region says this is the worst attack in the four years since the guerrillas began fighting to overthrow the monarchy.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service