KATHMANDU, Jan. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- At least two people were injured when an explosion hit the District Education Office (DEO) in eastern Nepal on Thursday afternoon, Radio Nepal reported.

    According to the radio report, two youths entered the DEO at Janapath in Biratnagar city of Morang district, some 300 km east of Kathmandu, on Thursday afternoon.

    The two left behind a bag full of explosives and asked people to vacate the office premises immediately. They also fled from the scene.

    The explosion, that took place at around 1:45 p.m. local time (0800 GMT), damaged the three-story building. The injured have been taken to local hospital for treatment.

    Nobody has claimed responsibility for the blast. However, the police blamed the guerrillas for the incident.

    In a separate incident, there was an explosion near Bindhyabasini cinema hall in Pokhara city in western Nepal on Thursday. There have been no reports of casualties from the explosion.

    Since the withdrawal of their four-month-long unilateral cease-fire on Monday, the anti-government guerrillas have been causing minor explosions at the government offices and municipal ward offices in various districts.

    The explosions took place at a time when the Nepali government said security has been tightened across the country ahead of municipal-level polls slated for February 8, this year.

    Over 12,000 Nepalese people have been killed since the anti-government insurgency took place in the Himalayan kingdom in February 1996. Enditem