14 pilgrims dead and 18 injured after bus crashes in Nepal

Fourteen pilgrims are reported dead and about 18 injured after a bus veered off a highway in the Kathmandu Nepal. The pilgrims were returning home from famous Hindu Kalinchowk Bhagwati shrine situated around 80 kilometres east of the capital city.

Rescuers rushed to the place to help the survivors of the incident and rushed them to hospitals.

Slippery roads caused by heavy rains might have caused the accident. Also, the fog made things barely visible. However, the police are investigating the cause of the crash.

Police officials said in a statement that the pilgrims were going back to their homes in a bus after bowing heads at Hindu Kalinchowk Bhagwati Mandir where Hindu devotees from India and Nepal visit during Bada Dashain, which is a famous festival in the country.

Spokesperson of Police Ganesh Khanal told media that 12 pilgrims were killed on the spot while 2 took their last breaths in the hospital. The bus was en-route from Dolakha's Kalinchowk to Kathmandu. Police are still identifying the deceased.

Police are indicating that there can be mechanical failure and also the bus was not from the area; thus, the driver was not familiar with the roads.

Yearly, hundreds of people are killed in bus crashes in Nepal due to mechanical failures or mountainous roads. As per official data, around 22,000 people lost their lives in Nepal due to road accidents.