A bus driver on Wednesday lost control of his vehicle which veered off a mountain road at Arghakhanchi in Nepal, killing 19 people and injuring 19 others, police said.

A police officer said the bus plunged several hundred feet in the accident in Narpani, Arghakhanchi a village about 240 kilometers (150 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu. The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said the injured were hospitalized. Police, soldiers and villagers helped in the rescue efforts.

No other details were immediately available. Road accidents are common in mountainous Nepal and are often blamed on poorly maintained vehicles and highways, and on narrow roads with sharp bends.

SOURCE: AP