DHAKA: Nine people were killed and dozens of people injured as a bus crowded with people has veered off a mountain highway near Katmandu in Nepal on Friday.

Police said they were heading home for a festival, reports the NDTV.com.

Police are trying to identify the bodies and believe one might be a foreigner. They say 25 of those injured have been hospitalized.

The bus was carrying nearly 100 people who were heading home to celebrate the Diwali festival with their families.

It drove about 100 meters (330 feet) off the road down a steep slope.

Police were investigating the cause of the accident, which occurred about 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of the capital, Katmandu.

BDST: 1926 HRS, OCT 24, 2014