The toll from the violent anti-corruption protests in Nepal climbed to 72 on Sunday, as search teams recovered bodies from government offices, houses and other buildings set on fire during the unrest, Reuters quoted the Health Ministry as saying on Sunday.

The country was plunged into a political crisis last week after protests sparked by the Nepali government’s ban on 26 social media platforms. Although the Oli government lifted the social media ban on Monday night, the agitation evolved into a broader protest against alleged corruption and misgovernance.

Security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds, but protesters torched state buildings, including the Supreme Court, parliament, police posts, politicians’ homes and private businesses.

Health Ministry spokesperson Prakash Budathoki said that many of the dead were found in shopping malls and residential buildings that had been attacked or set on fire, Reuters reported.

The ministry on Sunday said at least 2,113 people have been injured.

On Sunday, Nepal’s interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki announced a compensation of 10 lakh Nepali rupees for the families of those who died, The Kathmandu Post reported.

Karki, a former Chief Justice and the first woman to lead Nepal, was appointed interim prime minister on September 12 after KP Sharma Oli resigned amid mounting protests.

‘Those involved in violence won’t be spared’

In her first public remarks after taking charge, Karki condemned the destruction during the protests, and said that she was “ashamed”. She also claimed that the arson may have been premeditated, The Kathmandu Post reported.

“If they were Nepalis who destroyed these essential structures, how can they be called Nepalis?” BBC quoted her as saying.

Karki said she believed that there was a conspiracy behind the violence. “All acts will be investigated,” she said. “Nobody involved will be spared.”

Karki also pledged to respond to the demands of the demonstrations, largely led by Gen Z.

“Gen Z” refers to persons born between the late 1990s and 2010.

“We have to work according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation,” BBC quoted her as saying. “What this group is demanding is the end of corruption, good governance and economic equality.”

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