33 killed, 28 injured in Nepal bus crash

At least 33 people have died when a bus in Nepal veered off a mountain highway and rolled down a hillside.

An overcrowded bus has veered off a mountain highway in Nepal, killing at least 33 people and injuring 28 others, a government official said.

The injured people were brought by helicopter to Kathmandu and are being treated in two hospitals, Home Ministry official Chiranjivi Nepal said.

The bus veered off Arniko highway and rolled about 150 metres. Police were still trying to determine the cause. The highway is wide enough for two vehicles to pass but has sharp turns and no guard rails.

Parts of the bus, bodies and luggage were scattered on the forested slopes below the highway.

Army and police rescuers were combing the slopes near Deurali village, 80 kilometres east of the capital.

Bus crashes are generally blamed on poorly maintained roads and vehicles in Nepal. Much of the crashes happen during the rainy monsoon season that begins in June and ends in September.