The crash comes amid a surge in road accidents in Nepal, with 7,669 incidents recorded in 2024–25, while a World Bank study estimates traffic injuries cost 1.5 per cent of the nation’s GNP.
Security forces and local residents conduct rescue operations after a bus fell into the Trishuli River early Monday. | X/@SONSINGH_Ya
At least 18 people were killed when a passenger bus travelling from Pokhara to Kathmandu plunged nearly 300 metres into the Trishuli River in Nepal’s Dhading district in the early hours of Monday.
The crash, which occurred at around 1:30 am in the Bhaisigauda area of Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality, adds to a growing list of fatal road accidents in Nepal, where rising vehicle numbers have not been matched by adequate improvements in road safety.
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District authorities confirmed that 44 people were on board the bus at the time of the accident.
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Officials said the bus veered off the road and fell about 300 metres down to the riverbank. The exact cause of the accident remains unclear.
“The cause of the accident has not yet been identified, as the bus was travelling in its own lane,” Chief District Officer of Dhading, Bijaya Raj Subedi told news agency IANS.
The first phase of the rescue operation was wrapped up at around 6:30 am, he added.
Personnel from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and Nepali Army, along with local residents, were deployed through the night. Authorities said the rescue effort was slowed by darkness, rugged terrain, and a shortage of adequate rescue equipment.
Survivors were shifted to local hospitals in Dhading and facilities in Kathmandu for further treatment.
The incident comes amid a steady increase in road accidents across Nepal.
According to the Traffic Police Office, 4,999 road accidents were reported a decade ago. In fiscal year 2024–25, the number rose to 7,669, with 190 deaths recorded. Of these, 278 accidents were classified as serious.
A World Bank study in Nepal found that the economic cost of road traffic injuries has tripled since 2007, amounting to 1.5 per cent of the country’s gross national product.
The study also noted that more than 70 per cent of road fatality victims in Nepal are vulnerable road users, including cyclists, pedestrians, and motorcyclists.
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