Nepal Bus Plunge Kills 19 Including British National, Injures 25
A packed bus travelling from Pokhara to Kathmandu in Nepal has plunged off a mountain highway, killing nineteen people including a British national and injuring twenty-five others. The tragic accident occurred in the early hours of Monday morning along the Prithvi highway.
Details of the Fatal Crash
Police reported that the bus, carrying dozens of passengers, drove off the highway after midnight. It rolled down a steep mountain slope and came to rest on the banks of the fast-flowing Trishuli river near Benighat, approximately eighty kilometers west of the capital, Kathmandu. Rescuers reached the site promptly, extracting the injured from the wreckage and transporting them to hospitals for urgent medical treatment.
International Victims and Rescue Efforts
Among the deceased was a twenty-four-year-old British national, as confirmed by the Dhading district police office. Only nine bodies have been identified so far. The injured include a Chinese national receiving care at the National Trauma Center in Kathmandu and a twenty-seven-year-old woman from New Zealand who sustained minor injuries and is being treated at a local hospital. According to China's Xinhua News Agency, citing the Chinese Embassy in Nepal, another Chinese national remains missing following the crash.
Investigation and Historical Context of Road Safety
Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the accident. Bus accidents are unfortunately common in Nepal, often attributed to poorly maintained roads and vehicles. The Himalayan nation's mountainous terrain is predominantly connected by narrow, hazardous roads. This incident echoes a previous tragedy in 2024 when two buses carrying sixty-five people fell into the same river, with most passengers either killed or still missing. Wreckage from one of those buses was only discovered this year, buried deep in sand.
Government administrator Mohan Prasad Neupane confirmed that rescue operations were swiftly conducted, highlighting the ongoing challenges of road safety in the region. The community mourns the loss of life as investigations continue into this devastating highway plunge.
