Nepal bus crash kills at least 42

At least 42 people have been killed after a packed bus plunged into a ravine in western Nepal.

Another 43 people were injured when the bus came off the road at Luham in Salyan district, some 400km (250 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu.

Many of the injured are in a critical condition, police said. They said the number of dead could rise.

The bus was carrying more than 100 people when it skidded off the mountain road on the road to Tulsipur.

... most of the injured passengers are in critical condition District police officer Shankar Yadav

The bus fell about 250m (950ft) into the ravine.

District police officer Shankar Yadav told news agency AFP 40 bodies had been recovered at the scene and two more people had died on the way to hospital.

"The number of casualties could rise as most of the injured passengers are in critical condition. Twenty-three seriously injured people have been rushed to a regional hospital in Nepalgunj," he said.

Police said they were not yet clear on the cause of the accident.

Crashes are commonplace on Nepal's network of poorly-maintained roads, with vehicles often old and overcrowded.