Nepalese villagers look at the remains of a crowded bus.—AP Photo
Nepalese villagers look at the remains of a crowded bus.—AP Photo

KATHMANDU: A speeding bus plunged off a mountain road in western Nepal into a deep ravine on Tuesday killing 10 people, police said—the latest in a string of deadly accidents on the country's highways.

The driver lost control on a sharp bend on the main route heading east from the city of Mahendranagar, on the country's western border with India, 700 kilometres west of the capital Kathmandu.

“A micro-bus carrying 17 passengers slipped away from the road and fell 400 metres down below the hill, resulting in the death of 10 people on the spot,” Doti district deputy police superintendent Bharat Bahadur Bohara told AFP.

“The accident occurred on the hilly road because of excess speed,” Bohara said, adding that the seven other passengers were being treated in hospital.

Road accidents are relatively common in Nepal, due to poor surfaces, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.

In October last year, 41 people were killed when an overloaded bus fell from a mountain road into a swollen river in eastern Nepal.

Official figures showed 1,734 road fatalities in 2010, roughly doubling over a decade.

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.