At least 19 people were killed after a passenger bus veered off a mountain highway and plunged down a hillside in Nepal shortly after midnight, police said. The bus was travelling from Pokhara to the capital Kathmandu when it fell off the Prithvi Highway. China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency, quoting the Chinese Embassy in Nepal, reported earlier that another Chinese national remained missing. Road accidents involving buses are frequent in Nepal, often attributed to poor road conditions and inadequate vehicle maintenance. In 2024, two buses carrying 65 passengers plunged into the same river, with most of those on board either killed or still missing.

Source: Dhaka Tribune February 23, 2026 10:25 UTC