Kathmandu - A child was killed and three people were seriously wounded when a powerful explosion ripped through a stage at a cultural festival in southern Nepal, police said Friday.

The bombing in the town of Gaur in the Rautahat district, about 100 kilometres south of Kathmandu and close to the Indian border, killed an 8-year-old boy, police said.

Police said the explosion targeted a dance stage at a festival attended by thousands of people.

The blast occurred when no shows were being presented, and there was no large crowd at the stage, the district police office said.

There was panic after the blast, and people fled the area.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, the police said, but a number of rebel groups operate in the area, and attacks on gatherings have become routine.

The blast also came amid government efforts to bring rebels groups in southern Nepal together for talks to end the violence.

The Nepalese government said it has initiated informal talks with more than a dozen rebels groups in preparation for formal negotiations.

Most of the rebels groups sprung up after the end of the Maoist insurgency in November 2006.

The Nepalese government said the rebel groups are involved in extortion, abduction and murders of political opponents.

Simmering violence in southern Nepal has claimed hundreds of lives in the past two years, and attempts to hold talks with the armed groups have so far failed. (dpa)