Maoist rebels bomb Nepal cola plant

Police patrol the streets of Kathmandu

KATHMANDU, Nepal -- Maoist rebels have bombed a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Kathmandu, the first major attack in Nepal's capital since a state of emergency was imposed in the Himalayan kingdom earlier this week.

The blast is the latest in a spate of attacks blamed on the Maoists, fighting to topple the constitutional monarchy, since they broke a four-month truce with the government last week.

"Two bombs went off early in the morning. The wall of the factory, some windows and the roof of the building have been damaged," Sagar Thapalia, superintendent of police, told Reuters news agency.

There were no workers in the factory when the bombs went off and no casualties.

The army, which has launched an offensive to crush the Maoist rebels, cordoned off the area.

Plant officials were not immediately available for comment. Police said six people have been detained for questioning after the attack.

The rebels from the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) have targeted private industry before. Two months ago they attacked liquor companies in western Nepal, from where they had launched their revolt five years ago.

Appeal to India

Nepal's government appealed on Wednesday for military supplies from its neighbor India to help end the revolt. New Delhi responded positively.

An Indian foreign ministry spokeswoman declined to comment when asked whether India would be ready to supply soldiers along with military equipment to crush the rebellion.

At least 100 people were killed in Nepal before a state of emergency was declared

At least 100 people were killed in Maoist attacks over the weekend, prompting King Gyanendra to proclaim a state of emergency and call in the army for the first time to hunt down the guerrillas.

About 2,000 people have been killed since the rebellion erupted in 1996, hurting the key tourism trade, a major foreign exchange earner.

Officials said on Wednesday that the offensive against the rebels was continuing and soldiers were hunting them down in remote mountain terrain. They said 66 rebels had been killed in army operations that began on Monday night.

The estimated 5,000-10,000 Maoists, led by underground leader Prachanda, model themselves on Peru's Shining Path guerrillas and are active mainly in large but remote western areas.

The rebels agreed to a truce in July as part of peace talks in which they demanded a new constitution.

After the government rejected the demand, the rebels resumed their attacks, the latest blow to the country of 23 million people that is still coming to terms with a palace massacre in June.

Gyanendra took the throne after a drunken crown prince gunned down most of the royal family, including former king Birendra.