Nepal Bus Crash Toll Hits 47 as more Bodies Found

Rescuers pulled 44 more bodies from a fast-flowing river in western Nepal where a bus crashed last week, hiking the death toll to 47, police said on Monday.

Emergency workers found three bodies immediately after the crash in mountainous Jajarkot district on Thursday, and pulled another 44 from the wreckage of the bus over the weekend.

"The confirmed death toll so far is 47," said Jajarkot police chief Dinesh Raj Mainali. 

"We have recovered all the bodies that were trapped inside the bus wreckage. Now we are searching for any bodies that may be outside the bus."

Ten injured passengers were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment after bus plunged into the river.

There were only 45 people on the official passenger list, but police believe the driver stopped along the route to pick up extra travellers without registering them.

Accidents are common on Nepal's highways because of poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.

At least 10 people including a Russian woman died this month when two buses collided along a national highway in central Nepal.

Last month a crowded bus plunged down a hill in a town outside Kathmandu, killing at least 14 people, including two Israelis.