Six passengers died on the spot and one en route to Bharatpur hospital when a bus fell off the Prithivi Highway into the Trisuli river at Gerish, about 100kms west of the capital at 10:45 AM Friday, police said.

13 injured are being treated at Bharatpur hospital and 2 injured in Kathmandu, police said. The bus was traveling to Chandrapati in Tanahu district from Kathmandu. The bus is half submerged in the Trisuli river after plunging 100 metres off the highway. It was not known how many passengers were in the bus, police said.

Most of the passengers were staff of Mary Stopes, an INGO involved with reproductive health, going to Chandrapati to attend a program, police said. No foreigners were among those killed.

Search and rescue operations are on.