Kathmandu, Dec 15 (IANS): At least 14 passengers were killed and 16 others injured in a bus accident on Sunday in Nepal's Sindhupalchowk district , authorities confirmed.

Ganesh Khanal, spokesperson at district police office Sindhupalchowk, told Xinhua news agency that 12 passengers died on the spot, while the two others succumbed to their injured in a hospital.

According to the police, the ill-fated fell a few hundred metres down the road at Sunkoshi rural municipality.

The bus was en-route to the capital city Kathmandu from Dolakha's Kalinchowk, a popular religious and tourism destination.

"We have estimated that at least 32 people were travelling in the bus. The driver fled from the scene after the accident, while the assistant is seriously injured," Khanal said.

The police said they were investigating the reason behind the accident.

Over-crowded vehicles, poorly-maintained roads and shoddy conditions of public vehicles have significantly led to frequent road accidents in recent years in Nepal.