A passenger bus en route to Gamgadhi in Nepal’s Mugu district skidded off the road and fell 300 metres down into a river, killing at least 32 people and injuring many others, a media report has said.

The bus heading towards Gamgadhi from Nepalgunj fell into the Pina Jhyari river in the Chhayanath Rara Municipality, My Republica website reported. “The latest death toll from the accident stands at 32. The picture on the number of injured is also getting clear as it is increasing,” the report said.

Many passengers on the bus were returning home from various parts of the country to celebrate the Vijayadashami festival. A Nepal Army chopper was dispatched from Surkhet for carrying out rescue work at the accident site. Santosh Shah, the In-Charge of Nepalgunj Airport Security Guard, said 10 persons who received deep injuries on their head were taken to Kohalpur Medical College and five others were sent to a Nursing Home in Nepalgunj for treatment.

Mugu is famous for the beautiful Rara lake, which lies 650 km North-West of Kathmandu.