KATMANDU, Nepal?Nepal, plunged into a state of emergency after a rash of deadly guerrilla attacks, sent soldiers in pursuit of the Maoist rebels across the Himalayan kingdom Monday.

The rebels, who have been fighting for six years to oust Nepal’s monarchy and to install a socialist state, broke off a four-month cease-fire with a series of attacks that have killed 76 soldiers, police officers and government officials since Friday.

Twenty-eight people were killed Sunday night alone in Solukhumbu, 125 miles north of Katmandu, Interior Security Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka said.

The rebels also suffered heavy casualties, Khadka said.

On Monday, King Gyanendra accepted a Cabinet recommendation and declared a state of emergency, allowing the government to suspend civil liberties and send soldiers to fight the rebels.