An overcrowded bus plunged down a hill in central Nepal killing at least 11 and injuring 108 people.
The packed Helambu Yatayat bus was ferrying passengers who had been celebrating the Hindu festival of Dashain from Sindhupalchowk to neighbouring Kathmandu.
However the bus, which had only been travelling for one hour, slipped at a bend and plunged 164 feet at 10am in Tikhukomod, Indrawati Rural Municipaltity of Sindupalchok district on Friday.
‘Six people were killed instantly and five more passed away on the way to hospital or while being treated,’ a district official Goma Devi Chemjong said.
Chemjong said 108 people were injured but only 39 were kept for treatment and those injured were sent Dhulikhel Hospital of Kavre district
‘We are investigating what caused the accident,’ she said.
Accidents are common on Nepal’s poorly maintained highways, with the number increasing during the festival season when the roads are far busier and public transport overcrowded.
Since the tragic accident, local government, Indrawati Rural Municipality, has pledged Rs 25,000 (£173.88) to each of the families who lost their lives.
Chair of the Indrawati Rural Municipality, Bansha Lal Tamang, has said they will help with treatment of those who were injured.
