Nepalgunj, April 11:

At least one Maoist cadre was killed and one security person got injured in a clash between the security forces and Maoists at Bharaiya area of Kohalpur in Banke district this morning, security sources said.

The deceased Maoist has been identified as Santosh Budha Magar, vice-commander of the Maoists. Maoists have confirmed the death of Budha Magar. Police constable Ghan Shyam Tiwari, who was injured in the clash, has been undergoing treatment at the Kohalpur Teaching Hospital.

The patrolling team of security forces and the Maoists had clashed, said the security sources.

The security forces have begun a search operation in the area following the clash, the sources said. Meanwhile, a team of human rights activists and journalists has reached the site. Details of the incident are awaited. Meanwhile, a culvert was damaged when the Maoists, targeting vehicles carrying security personnel, detonated a bomb at Kohalpur-8 on the Nepalgunj-Kohalpur road section this afternoon.

No human casualty was reported in the blast, the sources said, adding that the vehicles escaped the blast.

The security personnel were bound for the Bharaiya area of Kohalpur, where a clash had ensued between the forces and the Maoists in the morning.