At least 14 people have died after a bus carrying passengers from India fell into a river in Nepal, officials have said.
There were around 40 people on the bus, which was travelling to Nepal’s capital Kathmandu from Pokhara, according to reports.
Rescue operations are underway at the accident site on the bank of the Marsyangdi river in Tanahun district.
The cause of the accident and the identities of the victims have not been confirmed yet.
“The bus bearing number plate UP FT 7623 plunged into the river and is lying on the bank of the river,” news agency ANI quoted Deepkumar Raya, a senior police official from Tanahun, as saying. The vehicle is registered in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Videos from the accident site show the mangled remains of the bus lying at the bottom of a hilly slope, next to a gushing river. Rescue personnel can be seen looking for survivors among the wreckage.
A Nepal army helicopter carrying a medical team has been despatched to the accident site.
The bus route from Pokhara to Kathmandu is very popular among Indian tourists and pilgrims.
Accidents are often reported in Nepal, due to factors including poor maintenance of roads and vehicles and narrow paths in mountainous areas.
In July, dozens of people went missing after a landslide swept two passenger buses into the Trishuli river.
