There has been minor explosion at the office premises of the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation (KMTNC) at Jawalakhel, Lalitpur this evening.

According to police, some unidentified persons left behind improvised explosives inside the premises of KMTNC late in the evening and fled. A staff of the Trust, Madan Chiluwal, and a security personnel stationed at the Trust, were injured.

There have been minor damage at the office building due to the explosion.

Police said a search operation was underway.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the explosion but police blame the Maoist rebels for it.

Crown Prince Paras is the chairman of the board of governors of the KMTNC, which is well known for its conservation activities.

Established in 1982, as an autonomous, non-profit and non-governmental organisation, the Trust works in the areas of nature conservation and has seven partners in the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Germany, France, Netherlands and Japan.

Leading projects being implemented by the Trust include the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) and the Manaslu Conservation Area Project (MCAP).