Kathmandu, February 23 At least 18 people were killed when a passenger bus fell into the Trishuli River near Gajuri in the Dhading district of Nepal early Monday morning.
Twenty-six passengers were injured in the accident, which occurred when a bus traveling from Pokhara to Kathmandu plunged into the Trishuli River along the Prithvi Highway, about 90 km west of Kathmandu, at 1:30 am, according to Bishnu Prasad Bhatta, spokesperson for the Armed Police Force.
Seventeen bodies have been recovered from the accident site, and 28 injured passengers have been rescued from the bus, according to Bhatta. The injured passengers have been admitted to various hospitals for treatment. Personnel from the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Police have been mobilized to carry out rescue operations.
Among those killed in the accident, one male passenger is from New Zealand. Two women, one Japanese and one Dutch national, were also among those injured in the incident.
Although the exact cause of the accident has not yet been determined, police have indicated that speeding may have been a factor.