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KATHMANDU, Nov 29 (AFP) - Maoist rebels in Nepal bombed a Coca-Cola factory early Thursday in Balaju, on the outskirts of Kathmandu.

Plant manager N. N. Singh said two bombs went off inside the factory.

"The first bomb exploded at 5:10 am (2325 GMT) at the back of the factory while the second one was planted inside the factory causing heavy damage to the bottle washing plant," he told AFP.

The second bomb went off five minutes after the first.

No one was injured in the blasts, Singh said.

The rebels also planted bombs next to diesel tanks inside the factory which failed to explode, a home ministry official said.

"The Maoists had tried to blow up diesel stored in tanks inside the factory's premises by laying pipebombs but luckily they did not go off," the official said.

"Had the diesel tanks exploded, they would have caused extensive damage in the area."

The army cordoned off the area while six people were arrested at a bus terminal on suspicion of being involved in the blasts, police said.

"Some people with pistols and ammunition were arrested near the area Thursday morning and are being interrogated," the home ministry official confirmed.

The attack was the first to be carried out by the Maoists in the capital since a state of emergency was declared on Monday.

The order came after the rebels broke a four-month ceasefire by launching a series of strikes on police and army posts on Friday, which have left more than 350 people dead.

The guerrillas began their struggle to overthrow the constitutional monarchy and introduce a republic in 1996. More than 2,000 people have died as a result of the insurgency.

The US beverage giant has invested nearly two billion rupees (26.31 million dollars) in the factory.

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