Death toll from violent protests in Nepal jumps to 31

The death toll from violent protests in Nepal has jumped to 31 as deliberations are underway to establish an interim government following violence that ousted the government of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, local media reported on Thursday.

According to the Forensic Medicine Department at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, where dead bodies of protesters have been taken for postmortem, preliminary identities of 25 victims have been established so far.

The identities of the remaining six deceased, one of whom is a woman, are not yet known, local English daily Kathmandu Post reported.

The Nepalese soldiers opened fire Thursday morning to stop a prison breakout, killing at least two inmates and wounding more than a dozen.

The latest jailbreak attempt occurred in the Ramechhap district of Bagmati province when prisoners broke through several internal locks and tried to smash open the main gate before security forces fired.

The prison holds more than 300 inmates.

Police said the situation is under control and no inmates could escape.

Nepal has seen several jailbreaks following the violent protests, with 15,000 inmates managing to escape over the past few days.

The army has assumed command of security in the country after "Generation Z" protests forced Oli to resign.

Deliberations are underway to choose the leadership for an interim government to run the tiny Himalayan country until fresh elections.

Protesting youth have chosen former Chief Justice Sushila Karki in an online poll as a candidate for the head of the interim government.

One section of protesters has floated the name of Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah to head the interim government.