Nepal: 18 dead as crowded bus veers off mountain road

One of the injured being taken to the hospital. Pic/AP

Kathmandu: At least 18 people were killed and 20 others injured yesterday when an overcrowded bus veered off a mountain road in Nepal's Dhading district.

The accident took place at Lapang Phedi village, 120 kms west of capital Kathmandu, when the ill-fated passenger bus was on its way to Marpak from the district headquarters, Dhadingbeshi, police said.

A total of 18 bodies - including 4 women - have been retrieved from the accident site, a senior police official said. The bus fell some 300 metres down the road.

Six of the injured are said to be critical and they have been airlifted to the capital for treatment, the officer said. Though the exact reason for the accident has not been ascertained, police have suspected that it could be the result of overloading and a steep road.