Roadblock landmine blast kills 7 in Nepal

The official said the mine had been planted by Maoist rebels, who have been fighting since 1996 to establish a communist republic in Nepal in a conflict that has claimed more than 12,000 lives.

The passengers had dismounted from the bus and were trying to move rocks and logs blocking the road when the landmine concealed underneath exploded, the senior security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

"At least seven bus passengers were killed and six others injured when a landmine exploded as they tried to clear away the roadblock planted by Maoist rebels," the official said.

There was no immediate comment from the rebels. The blast occurred along a highway in Kapilvastu district, 325km southwest of the capital Kathmandu.

Nepal's main political parties announced Tuesday they would hold talks with Maoists on forming a broad front against King Gyanendra as long as the rebels kept a pledge to cease killing civilians.

King Gyanendra seized power in February and sacked the government, saying it had not done enough to end the Maoist insurgency.

The latest deaths brought to 45 the number of civilians killed in landmine blasts since early June.

In the deadliest incident June 6, at least 36 civilians and three soldiers were killed when Maoists bombed a passenger bus.

The Maoists later apologised for the attack, saying they had been targeting security forces, not civilians, and called it a "grave mistake."

Meanwhile, Maoist rebels killed at least five soldiers and suffered unknown casualties themselves in a clash Friday in Nepal's southwest, the army said in a statement.

The guerillas had set up road blocks in the Kapilvastu district, 320km southwest of the capital, and then attacked the security forces who were sent to clear the barricades, said the statement.

"At least five security personnel were killed in clashes with Maoists in the Khairenpur road section of Kapilvastu district Friday," the statement said.

"The clashes occurred after the Maoists, who were hiding in the area, set off improvised explosive devices targeting the security forces."

The army said the rebels had also suffered casualties.

The Maoist rebels have been fighting for a communist republic in the impoverished Himalayan country since 1996, in an uprising that has claimed more than 12,000 lives.