Army helicopter crashes; Maoists claim responsibility

Kathmandu, Apr 6 (UNI) An army chopper, on a mission to rescue victims of a Maoist attack in south eastern Nepal crashed today, killing all 12 people on board.

The Maoists claimed responsibility for shooting down the chopper, two kms west of Malangwa, sent by the army to the site of last night's attack in which more than 13 people were killed.

However, the army headquarter contradicted the Maoist claims saying that the crash was caused by a technical problem.

Earlier, according to a local radio, at least six Maoists, three civilians and five security personnel were killed when the rebels launched simultaneous attacks on all government and security offices in Malangwa, the headquarters of Sarlahi district late last night.

The Maoists have also abducted government officers including chief district officer.

''The District Administration Office, District Police Office, District Development Committee Office, District Prison and other government offices caught fire after the attack and were burning till late in the night,'' Sagarmatha FM said adding that the Maoists used sophisticated weapons and exploded powerful bombs during the attack.

The Maoists have abducted over 129 inmates from the district prison including 22 Maoists.

More than 13,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the Maoists insurgency in 1996.

UNI XC PM RAI2018