The death toll from a bus crash in western Nepal has climbed to 29, including two toddlers, police said Tuesday.

The bus was overcrowded with families travelling during Nepal's busy holiday season when it plunged more than 200 metres (650 feet) down a hill late Monday afternoon.

"We worked through the night. Twenty-seven passengers were found dead while two died on the way to hospital," local police official Sagar Bohara told AFP by phone.

Another 67 injured passengers were receiving treatment, Bohara said.

"Everyone is grief-stricken... people are crying. We are now trying to hand over the bodies to the relatives," he said.

Accidents are relatively common on Nepal's highways because of poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.

In January last year, 29 people were killed in the same village when the driver lost control of a passenger bus in foggy weather.

pm/amu/cc/jah