UPPER DIR - Two militants blew themselves up with explosives when they were besieged by the local people in village Maskarai in Upper Dir District on Thursday. The militants were attempting to take hostage around 300 students of a school for unknown purposes. As per details, a group of militants entered the school in village Maskarai in Nihag Darra of Upper Dir District on Thursday morning. The militants held the children as hostages. In the meantime dwellers from all over the area belonging to Painda Khel tribe came to know of the incident and declared "Chagha" (call). Within minutes hundreds of people from all over the area assembled at the site and took siege of the school. The elders asked the militants either to surrender or to leave the school. However, the militants turned a deaf ear to the warning. In the meanwhile heavy contingents of police force also arrived at the site. Upon failure of the elders, the local people opened fire against the militants. The militants instead of surrendering blew themselves up with their explosive material. Third militant succeeded in escaping before the siege of the school. The local people informed that all these three militants were part of 12 others who were witnessed in the area. The police force present at the scene of the incident shifted the dead bodies of both the militants to a government hospital in Wari town of Upper Dir district. The Nihag Darra is adjacent to Ghatt-Pewchar of Matta region in Swat District, which is considered a den of the militants. It is believed that militants were slipping from Matta region to the rest of the province in the wake of the ongoing military operation.