Indian bus plunges into river in Nepal; 14 killed

The bus, which was carrying over 40 passengers, was heading towards Kathmandu from Pokhara.

At least 14 people were killed after an Indian-registered passenger bus plunged into the Marsyangdi River in Nepal's Tanahun district on Friday, PTI reported, citing local media reports.

The bus was heading towards Kathmandu from Pokhara. (ANI)

The bus from Gorakhpur, which was carrying over 40 passengers, was heading towards Kathmandu from Pokhara. At least 29 people have been rescued and are undergoing treatment at a hospital.

DSP Deepkumar Raya from the district police office in Tanahun confirmed the accident and said that the bus was lying on the river bank, reported ANI.

“The bus bearing number plate UP FT 7623 plunged into the river and is lying on the bank of the river,” Raya said. The bus was heading towards Kathmandu from Pokhara.

In July this year, 65 people on board two buses were swept into a swollen river Trishuli in Nepal.

The incident, involving the Kathmandu-bound Angel bus and Ganpati Deluxe which was headed from Kathmandu to Rautahat's Gaur, occurred amid heavy downpour in the region.

Indradev Yadav, the Chief District Officer of Chitwan, had told ANI that the buses were travelling along the highway when the landslide struck, pushing them off the road and into the raging river below.

Since the onset of the monsoon season, at least 62 people have been killed, and 90 others sustained injuries in rain-related incidents in Nepal till July.

“This year, it is estimated that there will be more rain than average and 1.8 million people will be affected by it so it is important to be cautious,” an official of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority under the Nepal's ministry of home affairs had said.

According to him, during this year's monsoon period, it is estimated that 412 thousand households will be affected by monsoon-related disasters.

(Inputs from PTI)