Kathmandu - At least 22 people, among them schoolchildren, were killed and dozens more injured after an overcrowded bus fell into a river in western Nepal, police said Friday.

Police said the bus plunged into Narayani River after smashing into the guard rail of a bridge while trying to overtake a tractor on Thursday night in Nawalparasi district, about 200 kilometres west of the capital Kathmandu.

Police said at least 22 people were killed and more than 60 others were inured in the accident. The bus was carrying students and teachers who were returning home after a picnic in the nearby town of Butwal.

Many of the victims died after being trapped in the mangled wreckage of the bus.

Kathmandu, Dec 8 : Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda has accused the Nepali Congress (NC) of trying to flout the politics of consensus and cooperation.

Speaking at a programme here, Prachanda said he believes that the sole reason behind the Nepali Congress not participating in the government was its reluctance to promote politics of consensus.

He warned that the nation would have to bear serious consequences if the standoff between the main political parties on the issue of the constitution of the Army Integration Special Committee continues.

Kathmandu, Dec 7 : Nepal Defence Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa has said that the nature of democracy envisioned by CPN-Maoist for new Nepal would be fundamentally different and pro-poor.

Nepalnews quoted Thapa as saying that we will refrain from adopting the form of democracy being practiced by countries like the US and India where weak and poor people are subjugated to the vested interest of strong and rich.

Stating that the new democratic framework of Nepal will enable the people of the same socio-economic status to compete with each other he said, "The new constitution to be proposed by his party will rule out every vestige of feudalism in the country".

Kathmandu, Dec 7 : Nepali Congress (NC) president Girija Prasad Koirala has urged for unity among democratic forces in order to what he called as attempt to foil totalitarian aspirations of the Maoists.

Addressing a rally here on Saturday, Koirala said that Prime Minister and Maoist chairman Prachanda was veering towards totalitarianism by speaking against democracy.

"The continued violation of past pacts and agreements by the Maoists would lead to their downfall," he added.