Nepal's king has declared a state of emergency after weekend attacks by Maoist rebels left at least 300 dead.
King Gyanendra has accepted a cabinet recommendation that will allow the government to hunt down the rebels.
"The cabinet has taken a serious decision to seek a state of emergency," Water Resources Minister Mr Bijaya Gachchedar said after the cabinet of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, met in an emergency session.
Airports and borders will remain open and government offices will function as normal under the state of emergency, he said, but security will be tightened across the nation.
The cabinet's recommendation came after a devastating rebel attack that police said killed at least 34 soldiers, officers and government officials in a mountainous village.
The rebels also suffered heavy casualties of over 200 in the attack in Solukhumbu, 125 miles northeast of the capital Katmandu, said Interior Security Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka.
The number of security forces and government officials killed has climbed to at least 76 since Friday, when the rebels, fighting for a socialist republic in Nepal, broke a four-month ceasefire.
The Maoist rebels have been fighting to establish a socialist state since 1996.
PA