At least 12 people died and 24 others were injured after a passenger bus plunged into the Rapti river in Dang district on Friday.

According to the police, the bus, heading to Kathmandu from Nepalgunj, veered off the Rapti bridge in Bhalubang and plunged into the river along the East-West Highway at around 10:30pm on Friday.

As of 1am on Saturday, five passengers died in the course of treatment while the bodies of seven others were recovered from the accident site.

The deceased have been identified as 60-year-old Kusum Basnet, Hetauda-local Saurabh Bista, 65-year-old Tara Kanta Pandey of Chandragiri, Mun Bahadur Rawat, 40, 30-year-old Rambaran Harichand, 25-year-old Deepak Kami, and Banke-local Sanjay KC.

Two Indian nationals—Uttar Pradesh-local Mune, 31, and 67-year-old Yogendra Ram Jogendra from Bihar—are also among those killed in the accident, police said.

The identities of three other victims are yet to be ascertained, said Deputy Superintendent of Police Janak Bahadur Malla, also spokesperson at the district police office.

As per details updated by the police at 2pm on Saturday, 37 people, including the driver, were aboard the vehicle. Six women and 18 men were rescued from the accident site.

According to Deputy Inspector of Police Sundar Tiwari, fourteen of the injured were rushed to the Nepalgunj Medical Teaching Hospital in Kohalpur for treatment.

Of them, five have returned home after being treated.

Six others, including two Indian nationals, are receiving treatment at the Kohalpur-based hospital. Forty-five-year-old Tilak Prasad Upadhyay has sustained serious injuries and is in critical condition, Tiwari added.

Seven other injured have been taken to Butwal while two are being treated at the Bhalubang Hospital.

The accident occurred due to overspeeding, police said. Bus driver Lal Bahadur Nepali, 28, has been taken into custody for investigation.