At least 14 people were killed and six others injured after a passenger van veered off a mountain road in Nepal early Thursday, according to updated local reports citing police.
The van was traveling from Kathmandu to Sarlahi when it left the road near Bhimphedi in Makwanpur district on November 12. Early reports put the death toll at 10, but authorities later recovered additional victims.
Rescue teams from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force responded to the steep crash site. Reports differed on the distance the vehicle fell, placing it between roughly 1,600 and 2,300 feet down the slope.
Armed Police Force spokesperson Shailendra Thapa told OnlineKhabar that 20 people, including the driver, were aboard.
The driver was among those killed. Many of the passengers came from the same neighborhood in Sarlahi, and Republica reported that five members of one family were among the dead.
Three survivors were discharged after treatment at Hetauda Hospital, while three others needed additional hospital care. Those still receiving treatment included two young children, according to local reports.
Authorities have not established what caused the van to leave the road. Police are investigating.
The crash happened during the week of Tihar, one of Nepal’s major festivals, when many people travel home to celebrate with relatives. Officials have not confirmed whether the passengers were making a holiday trip.
Nepal’s mountainous terrain includes narrow roads and steep slopes that can make crashes particularly dangerous. Although poor road conditions and vehicle maintenance are recurring transportation concerns, neither has been identified as the cause of Thursday’s wreck.
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