KATHMANDU -  More than 36 passengers have been feared dead when the passenger bus they were traveling on fell off the Riththebhir cliff along the Khurkot-Nepalthok road section of the Banepa-Sindhuli Highway in central Nepal Thursday morning.

All the bodies have been laid on the bank of the Sunkoshi River, some 80 km south of Kathmandu.

The Avenues Television has put the death toll at 38. Some 11 passengers who were traveling on the roof of the bus survived the mishap jumping off the roof, the Kathmandu-based news TV channel reported quoting an eye witness.

It is said some 80 passengers were traveling on the bus when the accident took place at around 10 am local time (0415 GMT) Thursday morning. Most of them were returning to capital Kathmandu after celebrating the Dashain Festival in their hometown, according to myrepublica.com.

It is reported that the bus overcrowded passengers skidded of the road due to poor road condition before meeting the tragedy.

Injured passengers are being brought to a local hospital for treatment while rescue operation is being carried out at the place of mishap with the help of police and locals.