Security forces killed at least 267 Maoists at Argakanchi district Monday night in the fiercest clash with rebels since February this year, the Defence Ministry said Tuesday night.

“After a search around Sandhikarkha, 17 buried bodies have been recovered and about 150 bodies have been buried by a river bank west of the district,’ the Ministry said.

The damaged buildings were still smoldering when Deuba visited Sandhikharkha.

Altogether 21 bodies have been recovered from the river beds with the recovery for three more bodies, fresh reports said. Locals were cremating the abandoned bodies after digging them up from the river banks, local reports said.

Surviving rebels fled with more bodies of the dead and injured in vehicles and bamboo baskets according to eyewitnesses, the Ministry said.

The army killed 13 insurgents and injured dozens in hot pursuit and blocking operations at Hansapur north of Sandhikarkha in Argakanchi district Monday, officials said. One soldier died and two others were injured in the operation.

Reinforcements were air-dropped to relieve trapped soldiers. The rebels decamped with Rs.90 million in cash and jewelry looted from the Rashtriya Banijya Bank in Sandhikarkha Monday, officials said

Tuesday.

Forty-six policemen and a prisoner were among the 77 released by rebels in Argakanchi Tuesday, an official source said. Border guards have stepped patrolling along the Indo-Nepal border in the area to stop the flight of injured rebels to India, reports from the border said.

Home Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka Tuesday accused the rebels of exploiting the discontinuance of the emergency nearly two weeks ago and said the government will convene an all party meeting soon to discuss whether it should be reimposed.

In other news, there was minor damage when a bomb exploded at the land revenue office in Bhaktapur, when security forces tried to defuse a bomb. Also another bomb exploded in Ekantakuna when security forces attempted to defuse it. There was a bomb scare in Kalanki also.