Shawdesh Desk:

At least 17 people, including seven children, died when a crowded bus swerved off the road and plunged into a river in central Nepal on Sunday, officials said.

The bus skidded off the road in Sindhupalchowk district, northwest of the capital Kathmandu, and plunged 50 metres (165 feet) down into the Sunkosi River.

“So far, 17 people have been confirmed dead and another 50 are injured,” district official Goma Devi Chemjong told AFP, adding that 48 others, including the driver, were injured and undergoing treatment.

Local rafters assisted the police and the army to scour the river and rescue any survivors, but some passengers are still feared missing.

“The number of missing is unknown as the bus had no record of the total number of passengers,” Chemjong said.

Authorities have not yet confirmed the cause of the crash.

Deadly crashes are relatively common in the impoverished Himalayan nation because of poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.

Last month, 11 people died and more than 100 were injured when another bus plunged into a river.