Nepal rebels storm mountain town

The Nepalese authorities are struggling to stay in control

Hundreds of Maoist rebels have stormed the Nepalese mountain town of Khalanga, bombing government buildings and reportedly killing a soldier.

The rebels raided a prison to free comrades and abducted six police officers, a senior police official told the BBC.

The local air strip was damaged in the attack which began after midnight.

The rebels are continuing a blockade of the capital, Kathmandu, in an attempt to win prisoner releases.

The police station, revenue office and administrative office in Khalanga, 600km (375 miles) north-west of Kathmandu, all came under attack and communication lines were severed.

Several government buildings in the remote mountain region were destroyed by fire.

Rural strongholds

The BBC's Charles Haviland in Kathmandu says that this has been one of the largest-scale attacks of recent weeks though police report they are now back in control.

Keshav Prasad Baral, deputy inspector general of police in the western city of Nepalgunj, told the AFP news agency that a battle had raged for about six hours.

The Maoists have been fighting since 1996 to turn the kingdom into a communist republic in a war that has claimed nearly 10,000 lives.

They are strong in much of rural Nepal, even running parallel governments in some areas, although they do not hold any of the country's 75 district capitals.

The rebels imposed a blockade of Kathmandu on Wednesday, sending prices soaring in local markets and putting pressure on the new government, installed only two months ago.