Bus plunges off Nepal mountain highway: 17 dead, Chinese national missing

A packed bus on its way to Nepal’s capital drove off a mountain highway in Nepal early Monday, killing 17 people and leaving another 24 wounded.One Chinese national remains missing and another is being treated at a local hospital, the Chinese embassy in Nepal confirmed according to Xinhua.There were dozens of people on board the bus, which was heading from the resort city of Pokhara to Kathmandu when it drove off the Prithvi highway after midnight, police said. The bus rolled down a mountain slope and landed on the banks of the Trishuli River near Benighat, about 80km (50 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu.Police said rescuers reached the accident site soon after the accident and the injured were pulled out of the wreckage and driven to hospitals for treatment.Police are investigating the cause of the accident.Bus accidents in Nepal are common, mostly due to poorly maintained roads and vehicles. Much of the Himalayan country is covered by mountains and connected only by narrow roads.