At least seven people were killed and 37 others injured when a over-crowded bus skidded off and plunged 100-metre down the road on a hill in western Nepal, police said on Sunday.
The accident occurred near Patharkot village in Kapilvastu district when the bus was heading towards Krishnanagar from Sandhikarka, police said.
The vehicle was too old and there were too many passengers in it, eye witnesses said.
Five persons died on the spot while two others succumbed to injuries in Lumbini Zonal hospital.
Six of the injured admitted to Bhairahawa Medical College Hospital were in serious condition, police said adding the driver of the bus fled after the accident.
Meanwhile, two minors were charred to death in a fire that broke out in their house at Manahari village in Makawanpur district in central Nepal, police said.
The victims include a five-year-old boy and his three-year-old sister.