About 200 anti-government guerrillas, 14 security personnel and a civilian were killed Monday in a clash in the far-western Nepal, the army said here Tuesday.

"A total of six bodies of guerrillas have been found at the battle field in Kailali district so far," an army official said on condition of anonymity.

"But we suspect that about 200 guerrillas may have been killed in the four-hour gun battle," he added.

The gunfight started at around 4:30 p.m. local time (1045 GMT) after patrolling government troops came under attack from the guerrillas at Masuriya jungle, over 700 km west of Kathmandu, and lasted till 8 p.m. (1415 GMT), he noted, adding, "About a dozen security personnel were injured in the fighting."

"Acting on a tip-off saying over 2,000 rebels were taking shelter inside the jungle, the troops launched search operation there," he said.

Security forces also used helicopters during the clashes.

During the gun battle, a bus traveling toward Kailali from mid- western district of Dang was caught in the crossfire, injuring 13 passengers.

Vehicular movement along the East-West Highway, also called Mahendra highway, came to a standstill after the clash, he noted.

Source: Xinhua