A bus packed with passengers riding both inside and on its roof veered off a mountain road in northwest Nepal on Tuesday, killing 30 people and injuring 35 others, officials said.
Government administrator Shiv Ram Gelal said the bus drove off the road near Ramche village and rolled about 150 metres down a slope.
Gelal said the bus was overcrowded because of a severe fuel shortage in the country that has limited transportation.
Police, soldiers and local villagers helped recover injured people and bodies from the wreckage.
Rescuers struggled to recover bodies and help the injured to safety after the bus fell 200 metres (656 feet) off the mountainous road in Rasuwa district, home to the popular Langtang trekking route.
“Of the 30 dead, 29 were recovered from the accident site and one died while undergoing treatment,” district chief Shiva Ram Gelal said, adding that one of those killed was an infant.
“We have sent 35 other people who were wounded to nearby hospitals and we are continuing to search the area,” Gelal said.
Gelal told AFP the cause of the accident was not clear yet. But injured passengers said the vehicle was overcrowded, with people travelling on the roof, he added.
Police were investigating the accident, which occurred about 80 kilometres (50 miles) northwest of the capital, Kathmandu.
Accidents in Nepal are generally caused by poorly maintained roads and vehicles.
The severe fuel shortage has forced people to travel on the roofs of buses, which generally is not allowed for safety reasons. It has become common to see bus roofs packed with people and police rarely stop them.
Ethnic protesters have blocked a key border point with India since September, which has prevented the import of fuel and other supplies.
Nepal normally gets all of its fuel from India.
Tuesday 3 November 2015
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/overcrowded-bus-veers-off-mountain-road-in-nepal-killing-30-1.3301149
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