Death toll climbs to 47 in Nepal bus crash

The death toll has reached 47 in a bus accident that occurred in western Nepal last week, police said on Monday.
The bodies of victims were found after rescuers pulled the wreckage of the bus out of a river over the weekend.
The overloaded bus, believed to be carrying some 60 passengers, had plunged into the Bheri river, some 400 km west of Kathmandu on Thursday. Three bodies were found at the crash site, while scores were missing in the river.
Twelve people from a same village were still missing. Police officials said many of the dead were preparing to go to Kathmandu for foreign employment. A search operation had been underway since last week.
Police official Rajendra Shrestha told the media that as the number of passengers in the bus was yet certain, the search operation was continuing. "We have estimated that there are around 60 passengers," he said.
In recent months, bus accidents have increased significantly due to the poor road condition and lack of a regulatory licensing system, and authorities are preparing to take measures to minimize bus crashes.
Last week, the parliament's Development Committee asked the government to bring a new draft of bill to control the rising bus accidents.