Kathmandu: At least nine passengers died and 24 others sustained injuries when a bus plunged off a bridge in Rupandehi district on early Sunday morning.

The bus, Lu 2 Kha 3841, heading for Bhairahawa from Janakpur plunged off the bridge over Rohanikhola at around 4:30 am today causing the fatalities, police said.

The condition of 15 passengers injured in the mishap is critical, DSP Navratna Poudel at District Police Office Rupandehi told Nepal Live Today.

The injured are being treated at Bhim Hospital and Universal Medical College in Bhairahawa.