At least 24 people have been killed and dozens injured after an overcrowded bus veered off a mountain road and crashed into a stream 200m downhill in northwestern Nepal, according to local officials.

Suman Kharel, an official at the country's remote Jajarkot district, told the AFP news agency on Thursday that 16 people were killed instantly, while the other eight died in hospital.

The nearest hospital was struggling to cope with the number of casualties and some people were being taken to other districts for treatment, he said.

"The district hospital is crowded with injured and we are still searching for people at the accident site," Krishna Chandra Paudel, another local official, said.

Overcrowded

The officials blamed the accident on overcrowding, saying that there were about 50 passengers on the bus.

The vehicle, which was travelling down a narrow and windy road from the village of Khalanga in Jajarkot district to Khara in Rukun, was also in a poor state of repair, Paudel said.

Poorly maintained vehicles coupled with reckless driving and bad roads lead to numerous fatal road accidents in Nepal every year.</s>An overcrowded bus fell into a stream in northwestern Nepal, killing at least 24 people and injuring many others, Al Jazeera reported, citing local officials.

Sixteen people were killed instantly, while eight others died in hospital, a local official told AFP, according to the report.

The bus veered off a mountain road and fell 200 meters downhill in the Jajarkot district of Nepal.

The officials cited in the report blamed the accident on overcrowding, saying the bus had about 50 passengers.</s>KATHMANDU:- At least 24 people were killed when an overcrowded bus skidded off the road and crashed in remote western Nepal on Thursday, local officials said. Sixteen people were killed instantly as the bus careered off the road in Jajarkot district, while the other eight died in hospital, local district official Suman Kharel told AFP. The nearest hospital was struggling to cope with the number of casualties and some people were being taken to other districts for treatment, he added. “The district hospital is crowded with injured and we are still searching for people at the accident site,” another local official Krishna Chandra Paudel said.–AFP</s>At least 25 people are dead after an overcrowded bus veered off a road in Nepal and fell 650feet down a cliff.

The bus was packed with villagers when it plummeted down the hillside and into a river in Jajarkot, 220 miles west of Kathmandu.

Fifteen were killed instantly and another ten as they were being treated at the scene while dozens more are injured.

They were evacuated to a local hospital, police official Hari Bhakta said.

The cause of the incident was not immediately known but police say speed and carrying passengers beyond its capacity appear to factors.

Road crashes, which are common in Nepal, are blamed on poor road conditions and ill maintained vechiles.</s>KATHMANDU, Nepal — Police say an overcrowded bus have veered off a mountain road in Nepal, leaving at least 24 people dead and several more injured.

Police said the bus plunged off the road Thursday near a village about 400 (250 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu. The bus rolled about 200 (650 feet) down a slope before crashing into the Pasagad river.

Local villagers helped police and soldiers pull the bodies and the injured from the wreckage.

Accidents in Nepal are mostly blamed on poorly maintained roads and vehicle conditions. The country is covered by mountains and the roads are also usually narrow.</s>At least 26 people were killed and around 41 were injured in an accident when an overcrowded bus veered off a mountain road in Jajarkot district in Nepal, officials said on Friday (March 10).

Vijayawada bus accident: Several killed as bus falls into river in Andhra Pradesh

Government official Krishna Chandra Poudel said the bus fell off the the road on Thursday near a village around 400 kilometers (250 miles) west of the nation's capital, Kathmandu. The official said the bus rolled down a slope for about 200 meters (650 feet) before crashing into the Pasagad River.

Police personnel and armymen rushed to the spot of the accident while local villagers also helped the rescue officials in pulling out the bodies and the injured from the bus wreckage, according to Associated Press reports.

The government official said rescue helicopters, however, reached the accident spot late and were only able to fly 18 injured people to a hospital in Nepalgunj city for treatment. Reports stated that another eight gravely injured people are being flown on Friday but the progress was delayed by inclement weather conditions.

The rescue operation was reportedly conducted at the accident site using night-vision helicopter soon after the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Bimalendra Nidhi ordered, according to the spokesperson at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), Bal Krishna Panthi.

Reports also said the bus was carrying more than 60 passengers while going through one of the most dangerous mountainous highways in Nepal.</s>KATHMANDU, March 9 (Reuters) - An overcrowded bus veered off a hilly road in west Nepal killing 25 people and injuring dozens on Thursday, police said.

The bus, packed with villagers, fell 200 metres (650 feet) into a river in Jajarkot, 250 km (220 miles) west of Kathmandu.

The injured were evacuated to a local hospital, police official Hari Bhakta said.

The cause of the incident was not immediately known.

Road crashes, which are common in Nepal, are blamed on poor road conditions and ill maintained vechiles. (Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)</s>Kathmandu, Mar 9: At least 24 people were killed and 41 others injured today when a bus veered off the road and plunged down about 200 metres from a highway in western Nepal. The accident took place in Jajarkot district when the bus carrying more than 60 people, passing through rough terrain, skidded off the road and plunged down.

Start the conversation, or Read more at India.com.</s>KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — At least 26 people died and 36 more were injured when an overcrowded bus veered off a mountain road in Nepal, officials said Friday.

Government administrator Krishna Chandra Poudel said the bus plunged off the road Thursday near a village about 400 kilometers (250 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu. The bus rolled about 200 meters (650 feet) down a slope before crashing into the Pasagad river.

Local villagers helped police and soldiers pull the bodies and the injured from the wreckage.

Poudel said rescue helicopters reached the accident area late Thursday and were able to fly 18 of the injured to a hospital in Nepalgunj city.

Another eight injured people were being flown out on Friday but had to wait for the weather to clear up.

Accidents in Nepal are mostly blamed on poorly maintained roads and vehicle conditions. The country is covered by mountains and the roads are also usually narrow.</s>The bus was heading from Khalanga to Khara, a village in the district (Representational)
An overcrowded bus veers off a mountain road in Jajarkot District, Nepal, killing at least 24 people.