Bus Plunge in Nepal Kills 19, Including Foreign Tourists

A packed bus veered off a mountain highway in Nepal early Monday, killing at least 19 people and injuring 25 others. The victims include citizens of China and the United Kingdom. The bus was traveling from the resort city of Pokhara to the capital, Kathmandu. It crashed on the Prithvi Highway shortly after midnight, according to police. The vehicle rolled down a steep slope before coming to rest near the Trishuli River. The accident site is near Benighat, approximately 80 kilometers west of Kathmandu. Rescue operations recovered the bodies and transported the wounded to nearby hospitals. An investigation into the cause of the crash is underway. Nepal's mountainous roads are notoriously dangerous. Poor maintenance, frequent landslides, and driver error contribute to hundreds of fatalities each year.