Suresh Kumar Sahu, 16, of Siddharthanagar in India, Gop Raj Gupta, 70, of Tilampurthana, Saraswoti Sahani, 65, Urmila Pandey, 66, and 24-year-old Pinku Ojha have been identified so far, said police.

Sixteen people were killed when a jam-packed bus swerved off the road and plunged onto the banks of the Madi River at Gothibang-1 in Pyuthan at 5 pm on Monday. Most of the deceased were Indian pilgrims.

Of the injured, 56 are receiving treatment in Bhairahawa while one is undergoing treatment at the Pyuthan District Hospital, said Dr. Phanindra Baral of the hospital.

The bodies of nine male and seven female have been sent to Bhairahawa after postmortem, said Chief District Officer Ram Bahadur Kurumbang.

Nine persons had died on the spot, two succumbed to injuries on the way to hospital and five others breathed their last in Pyuthan District Hospital yesterday.

The ill-fated vehicle was on its way to Krishnanagar of Kapilvastu from Bhingri, Pyuthan . Most of the passengers were pilgrims returning from Swargadwari Temple.