Soldiers hunt for children abducted by rebels

Soldiers today continued to search for hundreds of students thought to have been taken hostage by communist rebels in a mountainous area of western Nepal, a day after rescuing some 600 children, officials said.

The rough terrain and remoteness of the area were making rescue efforts difficult, said Gopalraj Timilsina, an official at the district administration office in Palpa district, about 160 miles west of Kathmandu.