Bus Crash in Western Nepal Kills 15

A bus has plunged off a narrow mountain road in western Nepal killing 15 people, police said Sunday, the latest in a string of deadly accidents on the country's highways

The driver lost control in thick fog on a highway on the country's western border with India, 700 kilometers (435 miles) west of Kathmandu.

"Fifteen passengers were killed when a bus skidded off the hilly road and fell down on a rocky cliff 400 meters (1,300 feet) below on Saturday night," district police sub-inspector Mahendra Saud told Agence France Presse.

"The bus was destroyed and six other people who were injured in the accident are undergoing treatment at the district hospital.

"We learnt that the road was immersed in fog at the time of accident. The bus left the road and plunged off to the cliff because of the poor visibility."

Road accidents are relatively common in Nepal, due to poor surfaces, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.

At least 18 people including two children were killed in southeastern Nepal last month when a tractor pulling a trailer packed with pilgrims fell into a roadside canal.

In October, 41 people were killed when an overloaded bus plunged off a mountain road into a swollen river in eastern Nepal.

Official figures showed 1,734 road fatalities last year, roughly doubling over a decade.