Nepal Bus Accident kills 29 People

KATHMANDU: At least 29 people were killed and 11 injured when a bus veered off a narrow mountain road in western Nepal, a police officer said on Tuesday. The vehicle tumbled down a hillside onto a riverbank after the driver lost control on a sharp bend on the Karnali highway, police inspector Barun Bahadur Singh told AFP from the crash site. "We have recovered 29 dead bodies. Eleven injured passengers are undergoing treatment at a local hospital. Among them, two are in critical condition. The bus has been broken into pieces," he said.

The accident occurred in the dark on Monday evening in the mountainous district of Kalikot. Accidents are relatively common on Nepal's highways because of poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving. On Sunday, a speeding bus plunged off a mountain road in central Nepal, killing 13 people. In July, 38 pilgrims were killed when an overcrowded bus plunged into a deep river in the southwest.