Bus accident in western Nepal kills 16, injures 22

Bus accident in western Nepal kills 16, injures 22

2011-05-04 21:37:13 GMT+7 (ICT)

KATHMANDU (BNO NEWS) -- Sixteen people were killed on early Wednesday morning when a passenger bus ran off the road in western Nepal, police said.

The bus accident happened at around 3.30 a.m. local time in Doti District, one of the 75 districts in the South Asian country. The bus was heading for Achham District after it earlier had left Kailali District.

According to police, the accident happened when the passenger bus skidded off the road and fell some 300 meters (0.2 mile) down a hill. The cause of the accident was not immediately known.

Authorities said sixteen people were killed, but noted the death toll could still rise as many of the 22 injured remain in a critical condition. The ages of the victims were not immediately released.

The accident comes just a day after another passenger bus veered off a road in Nepal's Sindhuli district, killing 10 people and injuring at least 15 others. The passengers were reportedly on their way to celebrate Mother's Day.

Accidents in Nepal are frequently blamed on reckless driving and bad roads due to poor maintenance, killing hundreds of people every year.

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