AlQa'dah 15, 1432, Oct 13, 2011, SPA -- At least 47 people were killed when a bus plunged into a river in Nepal Thursday, dpa quoted police as saying. The bus was carrying over 60 passengers home after the annual Dashain festival celebrations. It was travelling to the capital Kathmandu. Police said the bus was carrying more than its capacity. It swerved off the road and plunged 300 metres into the Sunkoshi River, in Sindhuli district, some 240 kilometres east of the capital. Police said 11 people who were travelling on the roof had jumped to safety but many were missing. Precisely how many was not known, as there was no record of the number of passengers. Rescue operations were being carried out by police with the help of inhabitants of nearby villages. Many overcrowded buses have taken to the roads of Nepal in the last two weeks as people travel home or to visit relatives during the festive season of Dashain, the country's largest public holiday.
