Search for survivors as 16 die in Nepal bus accident

Kathmandu, Nov 8 : At least 16 people - mostly students and pilgrims - were killed on the spot and over two dozen injured in western Nepal Sunday when a bus plunged off the road into a gorge, police said.

The bus was heading from Gokhunga village towards Sandhikharka, the main town in Arghakhanchi, one of the hardest-hit districts during the Maoist insurgency, when it plummeted almost 500m below the road.

The accident occurred in remote Hangshapur village, which requires almost five hours' walk from the main town, police said.

While 16 passengers, including women, children and the driver of the bus, Surya Bista, died on the spot, 25 people were badly injured, 10 of them seriously, police said.

Those gravely injured have been rushed to the Lumbini regional hospital.

Police and locals began searching in the gorge for survivors, fearing some could still be trapped in the bus.

At least one student is still said to be unaccounted for.

Police said the bad condition of the road as well as winter fog enveloping the area could have caused the mishap.

Nepal, according to the UN, has one of the largest incidences of deaths in accidents in the world.

Media reports said four more people had died in road smashes on the same day in other districts.

Two students were knocked down in popular tourist city Pokhara causing an outcry by students who clashed with police and blocked the road where the accident occurred.

Old vehicles, rash drivers and bad roads are largely responsible for the growing number of road deaths.

--IANS