JANAKPURDHAM: Two persons were crushed to death on the spot and 16 others injured when a passenger bus crashed into a roadside eatery along the East-West Highway in Dhanusha district of eastern Nepal.

The accident took place at around 10:45 pm on Monday as the man behind the wheel lost control of the bus that he had just restarted after stopping at the same eatery for dinner, according to Inspector Sagar Bikram Rana at the Dhalkebar-based Area Police Office.

The victims are identified as Ramu Mandal (29) and his wife Aanandi Mandal (23), who hailed from Rajbiraj of neighbouring Saptari district.

The bus had left Rajbiraj for Kathmandu.

Three of the injured were sent to Kathmandu and two to Biratnagar for treatment as they sustained critical injuries, according to police.

Three others were admitted to Lalgadh Model Hospital in Lalgadh, while others were released after treatment.

They are said to be bus passengers.

The bus driver reportedly fled the site after the incident. Police said they are searching for him.

Bodies of the victims were sent to the Janakpur Zonal Hospital for postmortem.