Maoist guerrillas set free on Tuesday about 50 Nepali children and a dozen teachers who were abducted to back a campaign against the monarchy after soldiers arrived at their hideout near the capital, officials said.
Nine heavily-armed guerrillas abducted the pupils and a dozen teachers from their school in a hilly village near Kathmandu on Sunday. Most of the children were girls aged between 13 and 16.
Troops escorted the children home after the guerrillas fled when they saw Nepali soldiers advancing towards their hideout, a senior military officer co-ordinating the rescue operation said in Kathmandu.
"The children and teachers trekked for eight hours and reached their village safely this afternoon," the officer told Reuters.
Terror-stricken villagers, who spent two sleepless nights worrying about the fate of the victims, were delighted to see the students and teachers.
"I never thought I would see my daughter again," said Ganesh Bahadur, father of one of the abducted students from Chaimale, 25 km (15 miles) south of Kathmandu.
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