Two persons were killed and around dozen others injured when a bomb went off at the Church of Assumption in Lalitpur, south of Nepali capital Kathmandu on Saturday morning, the police said.

The bomb went off at the church located at Dhobighat in Lalitpur,a city in the Kathmandu Valley bordering Kathmandu city across the Bagmati River, at 9:15 a.m. local time (GMT 0330) on Saturday local time.

The bomb went off when the church's weekly function was going on, leaving two dead. There were about 150 people in the church when the bomb went off.

The dead have been identified as Alestina Joseph, 15-year-old student and an Indian national, and Pabitra Paitra, a 30-year-old housewife. Both died while being taken to Patan Hospital for treatment.

According to the police, the injured have already been sent to local hospitals for treatment.

Although there are no evidences it is believed that the suspects are among the attendants of the function. Since pamphlets of Nepal Defense Army (NDA) are found around the church premises, NDA's involvement is also suspected. The police are investigating into the other details.

Also, the church staff said the so-called Nepal Defense Army, has left some pamphlets, taking responsibility for the blast. They said it is the same group that had in last year murdered a priest, John Prakash in Dharan, some 220 km east of Nepali capital Kathmandu.

Nepal Defense Army, which claimed to have planted bombs in Kathmandu and other cities in the country, came to the public's notice since 2007.

In September, 2007, Nepali police arrested Ram Prasad Mainali of NDA, and once claimed that Mainali was the lone person in the NDA, so it would no more be in existence.

While the police were investigation the blast scene, they got calls about another bomb blast at a nearby church. The police rushed to the spot, only to discover that it was a hoax.

Father Bogati, chief of the Assumption Church condemned the incident. Damodar Gautam of World Hindu Federation also condemned the blast saying attacks on religious shrines were unfortunate, according to local reports.

(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2009)