A bus and other vehicles traveling on Route 13 north of Vang Vieng on the way to Luang Prabang were attacked by some 25 men armed with automatic weapons and grenades Feb. 6. At least 12 people were killed, including two foreign cyclists who happened to be passing at the time, and 26 were wounded. The two foreigners were believed to be Swiss nationals. The ambush occurred in an area populated by the Hmong ethnic group, and the attackers were reported to have been speaking the Hmong language. A Hmong insurgency had been active in the area through the mid-1990s, and the highway north of Vang Vieng had been the site of occasional attacks in the late-1990s, but the road has been heavily traveled and considered safe for the last two years. Vang Vieng is about three hours north of Vientiane. Route 13 has been closed until further notice.
