Nepal bus crash kills 19

A passenger bus fell from a hilly road in west Nepal before dawn on Feb 23, killing 19 people, including a British national, Reuters reported, citing the police.

Only nine of the dead have been identified so far, they said, adding that the bus was carrying 44 people in all.

A New Zealander and a Chinese national were among 25 injured when the bus headed to Nepali capital Kathmandu from the tourist town of Pokhara fell 200m from the road at Behighat in Dhading district, 80km west of Kathmandu, a police statement said.

The injured are being treated at hospitals in Kathmandu, it said.

Road accidents are common in mostly mountainous Nepal, where the conditions of roads are poor. Hundreds die in road crashes in Nepal annually.