12 Indian pilgrims killed in Nepal bus accident

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A bus plunged off a mountain highway near the Nepalese capital Wednesday, killing at least 12 Indian pilgrims and injuring 37 more, police said.

The bus veered off the Prithvi highway at a point about 16 kilometers (10 miles) west of Kathmandu, police officer Tejendra said.

He said the bus fell about 300 meters (1,000 feet) from the highway before it landed in a river at the bottom of the hill.

The injured have been taken to different hospitals in Kathmandu.

Seven men and five women were killed, but they have not been identified.

The bus was carrying Hindu pilgrims on a visit to the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu. They had left Kathmandu to return home.

Police did not immediately give any cause for the accident.