'Maoists' blast damages Nepal state airline HQ

The explosion went off in the ticketing office of Royal Nepal Airlines just after Crown Prince Paras left the army grounds about 100 meters (109 yards) away.

"There was a very loud bang and we could see a big blanket of dust rising after the blast. All the window panes were shattered on the front of the building," witness Ram Maya Tamang said.

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He said he saw a man slightly injured by broken glass. Police confirmed the blast but had no information on casualties.

The airline headquarters was closed for Shivaratri, the festival to the Hindu god Shiva, but the pavements outside were packed with people watching the annual military show that featured large bonfires.

The blast came amid heightened violence in Nepal, where more than 9,000 people have died since 1996 in the Maoist uprising aimed at turning the world's only Hindu kingdom into a secular communist republic.

A security official said 65 Maoists were killed Sunday and Monday as troops equipped with attack helicopters seized control over a guerrilla training camp in the western Kalikot district.

The Maoists ended a seven-month ceasefire in August after peace talks broke down.