KATMANDU, Nepal - Police in Nepal say a bus crowded with people heading home for a Hindu festival has veered off a mountain highway, killing nine people and injuring dozens of others.

Police are trying to identify the bodies and believe one might be a foreigner. They say 25 of those injured in the accident Friday have been hospitalized.

The bus was carrying nearly 100 people who were heading home to celebrate the Diwali festival with their families.

It drove about 100 meters (330 feet) off the road down a steep slope. Police were investigating the cause of the accident, which occurred about 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of the capital, Katmandu.

Poor maintenance of roads and vehicles contributes to many accidents in mountainous Nepal.