Nepal's parliament has voted to extend a state of emergency for three more months, following bloody fighting between government troops and Maoist rebels.

Speaker T.N. Ranabhat says the government proposal to extend emergency rule was backed by 194 members of the 205-seat lower house of parliament - much more than the two-thirds needed for approval.

Nepal imposed a state of emergency in November, after the Maoist rebels abruptly broke off peace talks and resumed their bloody campaign to topple the country's constitutional monarchy. The state of emergency will now run until May 25.

The extension comes as the Nepalese government says the army has killed at least 48 rebels during a sweep of an area in western Nepal where guerrillas killed 137 soldiers, policemen and civilians in recent attacks.

More than 2,400 people have been killed since the Maoist rebels began fighting in 1996. The rebels draw their inspiration from Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Tse-Tung.

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

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