Coach almost fell into swollen river, killing more than half of passengers

The accident occurred near the town of Abukhaireni, about 120 kilometers west of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu. The bus left the highway and slid into the Marsyangdi River, which was swollen by heavy rain. The vehicle came to rest on a rocky bank. Its upper section was damaged, but the bus did not fall into the water.

During the rescue operation, it was determined that there were 43 people in the bus. A local police spokesman said that 27 people died and 16 were injured. Earlier, it was reported that 21 people died and 22 were injured. All 41 passengers and two crew members were Indians who were travelling from Pokhara to the Nepalese capital.

Police said 12 people pulled from the water were seriously injured and were airlifted to the capital. At least six of them died in hospital.

In July, two buses were pushed into a river by a landslide following rainfall near the site of Friday's accident. Of the 65 people travelling in those vehicles, only three survived, and only half of the bodies have been recovered.

In the past two months, continuous rainfall in Nepal has led to the deaths of nearly 200 people. There have been floods and landslides, especially in mountainous regions. This week, a large flood appeared on the border between India and Bangladesh.