A young girl was killed and two children were severely injured when a bomb left by the Maoists went off in Budhi village VDC of Kapilvastu on Sunday.

Reports said the explosion occurred when the children picked up the bomb mistaking it for a toy.

The children were rushed to the Lumbini zonal hospital, where one eight-year-old Anita Thakur died due to the severity of her injuries. The other two children, both ten-year-olds, are undergoing treatment and are said to be in a critical condition.

According to some studies, over 300 children have died due to the insurgency since the beginning of the “people’s war” in 1996.