Van falls off mountain highway in Nepal, killing 8 and injuring 4

KATHMANDU, Nepal -- A passenger van veered off a mountain road early Friday in western Nepal, killing eight people and injuring four others, the army said.

The van rolled about 200 meters (650 feet) below the road before dawn near the village of Shaileshikar, about 600 kilometers (375 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu.

The van was returning to the village with people who had been to a festival in a nearby town.

The army said it used a helicopter to rescue the four injured people and flew them to a hospital for treatment.

It was not clear what caused the crash.

Nepal is covered with mountains where roads are narrow and poorly maintained, and autumn and winter weather conditions also make driving difficult and dangerous.