Eight Killed, 16 Injured After Bus Plunges Off Road in Nepal
Kathmandu — At least eight people were killed and 16 others injured after a passenger bus plunged off the road in central Nepal’s Kavrepalanchok district on Friday, officials said.
The accident took place in the Buchchakot area along the B.P. Highway, according to Gopal Kumar Adhikari, chief district officer of Kavrepalanchok.
Adhikari told IANS that eight passengers died in the crash, while 16 injured people were taken to Dhulikhel Hospital for treatment.
“Of them, five are reported to be in critical condition,” Adhikari said.
Police personnel and local residents rescued the injured passengers and transported them to the hospital.
The bus was traveling from Banepa in Kavrepalanchok to the Sungure area when it veered off the road and fell into a gorge at Buchchakot in Namobuddha Municipality on Friday afternoon. Adhikari said the bus fell about 300 meters below the highway.
“The cause of the accident has not been identified so far,” he said.
Nepal has seen a rise in road accidents in recent years as the number of vehicles on its roads has grown. A decade ago, Nepal Traffic Police reported 4,999 road accidents. In fiscal year 2024–25, the country recorded 7,669 road accidents and 1,900 deaths, according to official data.
Of the total accidents, 278 were classified as serious. Road safety problems also carry a significant economic cost.
A World Bank study found that the economic cost of road traffic injuries in Nepal has tripled since 2007 and now amounts to 1.5% of the country’s gross national product. The World Bank said road crashes also disproportionately affect the poor, with more than 70% of road fatalities in Nepal involving vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. (Source: IANS)
