A British national is among 19 dead after a passenger bus fell from a hilly road in west Nepal.
Only nine of the dead have been identified so far, local police said, adding that the bus was carrying 44 people in total.
A New Zealander and a Chinese national were among the 25 injured when the bus headed to the Nepali capital, Kathmandu, from the tourist town of Pokhara fell 200 metres from the road at Behighat in Dhading district, 80km west of Kathmandu.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said the Government was supporting the family of the 24-year-old British man who died in the accident and was in contact with the local authorities.
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
The injured are being treated at hospitals in Kathmandu, it said.
Road accidents are common in mostly mountainous Nepal where the conditions of roads are poor. Hundreds die in road crashes in Nepal annually.
Police spokesman Abinarayan Kafle said 17 people died at the scene, with two more dying while receiving treatment.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Nepal and are in contact with the local authorities."
The bus crashed just off the road in Nepal
|REUTERS
Officers remain at the scene and are investigating the cause of the crash.
Government official Mohan Prasad Neupane said that rescuers reached the site soon after it happened.
Nepalese officials said the bus rolled down a mountain slope and landed on the banks of the Trishuli River.
In July 2024, two buses with 65 people on board fell into the same river and were lost, with 14 people dying.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Security personnel stand guard as relatives of victims of a bus crash in Nepal
|GETTY
Nepal remains one of the most popular tourist destinations for climbers and is a significant source of revenue for the country.
In 2024, climbing fees brought in $5.9million (£4.4million), with the Nepalese Government announcing a sharp hike for those seeking to summit Mount Everest.
Those wanting to climb the world's tallest mountain in the peak season will have to pay $15,000 (£11, 097), with that fee dropping to $7,500 (£5,563) during September to November, and $3,750 (£2,781) during December to February.
The hike followed an order from Nepal's Supreme Court in April 2024 to limit the number of mountaineering permits issued for Everest and other peaks, saying that the mountains' capacity "must be respected".
More From GB News