11 die in south Nepal tractor accident

Nine children and two adults died when a tractor pulling a trailer carrying guests in a wedding procession skidded off a road and into a canal in rural southern Nepal, an official said Saturday.

Two other passengers were seriously injured in the accident late Friday in Barhathawa village, about 125 miles southeast of the capital, Katmandu, said Sitaram Pokhrel, chief government administrator in the area. They were taken to a hospital.

Pokhrel did not say what caused the tractor to veer off the road, saying only that the accident was being investigated.

It is common in this impoverished area for people and goods to be ferried using makeshift transport such as tractors dragging trailers.

Road accidents are common in Nepal, mainly due to the poorly maintained roads and vehicles, a lack of safety regulations and lax enforcement.