18 Dead in Nepal Bus Crash into Trishuli River

At least 18 people died and more than two dozen others were injured when a passenger bus traveling from Pokhara to Kathmandu plunged off a mountain highway into Nepal's Trishuli River early Monday morning.

The accident occurred around 1:15 a.m. in the Benighat Rorang area of Dhading district, about 80 kilometers west of Kathmandu. The bus, carrying over 35 passengers, veered off the Prithvi Highway and tumbled down a steep slope before landing on the riverbank. Police and rescue officials described the vehicle as severely damaged, with the fast-flowing Trishuli complicating recovery efforts.

Rescue operations began immediately, involving personnel from the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, Nepal Police, and local residents. The nighttime conditions and rugged terrain made the work challenging, with teams using torchlights to search the wreckage and riverbanks. By morning, authorities had recovered all 18 bodies, including two foreign nationals—a man and a woman whose nationalities remain unconfirmed, though one report identified the man as a New Zealander. Among the injured were a Japanese woman and a Dutch woman, both receiving hospital treatment.