A Rautahat-bound bus was bombed on Saturday evening (Nov 16, 2013) at Satungal in Kathmndu. According to Ekantipur.com, nine people, including a five-year-old girl and thirteen-year-old boy, were seriously injured when bandh enforcers hurled a petrol bomb at the bus (Na 4 Kha 5200) at around 7:30 pm.

Among the victims, Prajana Khatun, 5, and Kalam Mohammad Dorji, 13, were admitted to the intensive care unit of Bageshwori Hospital, Satungal, for serious burn injures. Khatun’s mother Hasina, 35, is receiving care at the ICU as well.

Despite government claims of tight security for vehicles leaving and plying inside the Valley, three incidents of bombing in public vehicles have been reported. Children were injured in all the cases.

Also injured in the incident were Kalam Mohammad, 45, of Rautahat; Umesh Maha-rjan of Banasthali, Kath-mandu; Mohammad Taprej, 14, of Rautahat; Mohammad Munna, 39, of Rautahat; Janin Miya Kawadi, 42, of Rautahat and Sakhila Khatun, 22, of Rautahat.

Police said the vehicle, along with many others, was being escorted. However, it stopped near the bridge in the area when the bombs were hurled.

The driver said that four men approached the vehicle and threw the bomb inside the bus and fled. No one had been arrested until late night.

According to the Home Ministry, 19 vehicles have been targeted with petrol bomb since November 10, a day before the general strike enforced by the CPN-Maoist-led alliance.