11 returning home for Chhath Puja killed as bus plunges off road in Nepal

At least 11 people were killed and six others injured on Thursday when a microbus plunged down a hilly road in Nepal's Bagmati province, police said.

The accident occurred around 5:45 am in the Makawanpur district.

The vehicle, carrying around 17 people, was travelling from Kathmandu to Sarlahi when the accident occurred, according to an information officer at the Makwanpur District Police Office.

It plunged around 300 metres down a hilly section of the Bhimfedi-Kulekhani-Kathmandu road in Bhimfedi Rural Municipality.

Eleven people, including the driver, were killed in the accident. Six injured passengers were admitted to a local hospital in Hetauda Municipality for treatment.

The vehicle was carrying residents of Sarlahi district in southern Nepal returning to their home from Kathmandu to celebrate the Hindu festival Chhath, which falls on Sunday this year.

Chhath is observed by the Hindu community mainly in the Terai, the southern plains of Nepal.- Ends