At least 19 people have died and 25 others have been injured after a packed passenger bus veered off a mountain road and plunged about 200 metres into a river in Nepal.
The bus was travelling overnight from the lakeside tourist city of Pokhara to the capital, Kathmandu, when it lost control on the Prithvi Highway in Dhading district early on Monday.
Police said the vehicle skidded off the narrow roadway near Benighat, roughly 80 kilometres west of Kathmandu, before tumbling down a steep mountainside and coming to rest on the banks of the Trishuli River.
Among those killed was a 24-year-old British national. Authorities also confirmed that a New Zealand woman, 27, sustained minor injuries and was treated at a local hospital before being discharged. A Chinese national was among the injured and received treatment at a trauma centre in Kathmandu.
Senior police officer Prakash Dahal said 44 people were on board the bus.
“Out of 44, 19 people died and 25 are undergoing treatment.”
Rescue teams worked through the night to reach survivors trapped in the wreckage. Officials said boats were used to ferry the injured from the riverbank up to the road, where ambulances transported them to hospitals in the capital.
A preliminary investigation suggests the bus went out of control before plunging into the river. Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs has established an inquiry committee to determine the cause of the crash and recommend safety measures.
Deadly road accidents are common in the Himalayan nation, where steep terrain, poorly maintained roads and ageing vehicles pose significant risks. In 2024, two buses carrying more than 50 people were swept into the same river during a landslide, leaving most passengers dead or missing.
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