Nepal Bus Crash Kills 13 Wedding Party Members

A bus carrying a wedding party plunged 200 meters down a steep hillside in Nepal's Sudurpashchim province on Thursday evening, killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 40 others, police reported Friday. The accident occurred around 8 p.m. in the Badgau area of Purchaudi Municipality in Baitadi district, about 500 kilometers west of Kathmandu.

The vehicle was transporting relatives and guests returning from a wedding ceremony in Purchaudi, heading toward the groom's village in Sunkuda, Bajhang district. Eight passengers died instantly when the bus veered off the narrow mountain road and tumbled into a ravine, landing on relatively flat ground below. Five more succumbed to their injuries later at Dadeldhura Hospital, where most of the wounded were taken for treatment. Among the deceased was at least one woman, and the victims included people from nearby rural municipalities such as Bitthadchir and Kedarsyu. Police identified several by name, including Keshavraj Joshi, 40, and his relatives from Bajhang, as well as Mohandev Bhatta, 60, from Kedarsyu.

Rescue teams, including Nepal Police, Armed Police Force personnel, and local residents, responded quickly to the site. They...