By IANS
Kathmandu : At least 19 people were killed in western Nepal Monday when a bus fell off the road in a thickly forested area.
The bus was heading west from Butwal town when around noon it jumped off the narrow road at Laghuwa village in Palpa district, Nepal’s official media said.
It is one of the worst recent road disasters in a country where accidents have become increasingly common due to rash driving and tremendous work strain.
Initial reports said the road had become difficult to manoeuvre due to landslides caused by heavy rainfall in the past few days.
Rescue workers had recovered 19 bodies, but till late noon had not been able to identify the victims.
The 35 injured passengers were rushed to the nearest hospital in Tansen town.
Road smashes have become the biggest killers in Nepal – with accidents reported daily – since the Maoist insurgency ended last year.
Hours before the bus smash, a pedestrian was killed right before Singh Durbar – the heart of the government in Nepal where parliament, the prime minister’s office and other ministries are located – when a car hit him at high speed.
Several foreign governments caution their citizens to try to avoid travelling by bus, especially on overnight journeys.
Besides bad roads compounded by rains in monsoon, public bus drivers are incredibly overworked, often driving for over 12 hours without a break.
Several accidents have been caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel.