"As many as 12 people have been confirmed dead, while 22 others were injured in the accident," said Rambandhu Subedi, the chief district officer.
He told Xinhua that the bus appeared to be overspeeding at the time, as it hit the railing of the bridge over the Rapti River and plunged into the river at around 10:30 p.m. local time on Friday.
It took about four hours for the rescuers to take the bus out of the river, Subedi said, noting that the bus with 36 people aboard was heading to the capital city of Kathmandu when the accident happened.
The injured were being treated at local hospitals, he added.
MP/PR