At least 18 people, including four women, were killed and about a dozen others injured today when an overcrowded bus veered off a mountain road in Nepal’s Dhading district. Police said the accident took place at Lapang Phedi village, west of capital Kathmandu, when the ill-fated passenger bus was on its way to Marpak from the district headquarters, Dhadingbeshi. Though the exact reason for the accident has not been ascertained, police have suspected that it could be the result of overloading and a steep road.
Most of the passengers were reportedly Nepal earthquake survivors who had come to Dhadingbesi to collect the relief money. Road accidents are very common in Nepal and occur mainly due to poorly maintained roads and vehicles.