Bomb explosion in south-eastern Nepal injure six

Oct 5, 2008, 5:08 GMT

Kathmandu - At least six people were injured when a powerful explosion ripped through a mosque in south-eastern Nepal, media reports said Sunday.

The blast targeted the mosque at Hattimuda village in Morang district, about 400 kilometres south-east of the capital, during evening prayers on Saturday night, the Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.

The newspaper said unidentified assailants threw the bomb into the mosque and fled.

The mosque was packed with people and most of the injured sustained shrapnel injuries.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack.

There are several armed groups operating in the area with a range of demands including reinstatement of Hinduism as the country's official region.

Muslim groups said the attack was an attempt to disturb communal and religious harmony in Nepal.

'This a deliberate attempt to disturb religious harmony,' the newspaper quoted Nazrul Hassan, the president of Muslim Association of Nepal as saying. 'The government must act tough against elements behind such acts.'

The association also condemned the attack and called on Muslims to exercise restraint.

In April, similar attack on mosque in the same area killed at least two people and injured two others.

The Muslim minority make up less than 5 per cent of Nepal's 28 million population, and live predominantly in pockets of southern Nepal bordering India.

Nepal has not seen major religious strife between Muslims and the majority Hindus in the past.