Bus slips off the Prithvi Highway after midnight A 24-year-old British national among the victims

Nineteen people were killed and 25 others injured on Monday morning after an overcrowded bus veered off a mountain road during its journey from the city of Pokhara to the capital, Kathmandu.

According to the police and the Associated Press, the bus slipped off the Prithvi Highway after midnight, fell down a mountain slope, and came to rest on the banks of the Trishuli River near the Pingat area, about 80 kilometers west of Kathmandu.

A statement from Dadhing Police indicated that the victims included a 24-year-old British citizen, while the identities of only nine bodies have been confirmed so far. A Chinese national was also injured and is currently receiving treatment at the National Trauma Center in the capital.

Authorities have confirmed the opening of a comprehensive investigation to determine the causes of the accident and establish responsibilities, amid widespread grief and public outrage over the continued danger of mountain roads, which occasionally lead to tragic accidents.