TRAGIC ACCIDENT: Bus plunges 300m down the road in Nepal, 14 killed

Kathmandu: At least 14 people died on Thursday morning when a passenger bus plunged around 300 meters down the road in eastern Nepal, the police said.

"We have recovered 14 dead bodies from the accident site, while five injured people have been sent to nearby hospital for treatment," Deputy Superintendent of Police Laldhwoj Subedi told Xinhua over phone.

The accident happened as the bus was moving toward Damak city from Sankhuwasabha district, Subedi said.

The number of traffic accidents has been on the rise in Nepal in recent years.

In the 2020-21 fiscal year that ended in mid-July 2021, the South Asian country reported a total of 9,545 road accidents, in which 166 people were killed, according to official figures. (UNI)