The anti-government guerrillas on Monday kidnapped 450 students in central Nepal, The Himalayan Times newspaper reported Tuesday.

An armed group of a dozen guerrillas forcibly took along with the students from Prastabit Secondary School in Tilpung village of Ramechhap district, some 100 km east of Kathmandu, the independent English-language daily quoted an eyewitness as saying.

"The rebels barged into the classrooms and asked the students to accompany them," a local citizen said on condition of anonymity.

The students are said to have been forced to participate in a function organized by the guerrillas in memory of their late cadres, he said.

The students had not been released till Monday night, he added.

The anti-government guerrillas have intensified their violent activities across Nepal in recent weeks. About 10,000 Nepalese people have lost their lives since the anti-government insurgency broke out in the Himalayan kingdom in early 1996.

Source: Xinhua