Tributes have been paid to a 'lovely and caring' British tourist who died in a bus crash in Nepal.
Dominic Stewart, 23, was among 19 people killed when a tourist bus lost control and plunged 650ft down a ravine in Behighat in Dhading district, 50 miles west of Kathmandu.
There were 44 people on board. Nineteen died, and 25 were injured.
Mr Stewart had just completed the popular Annapurna Circuit trekking route and was due to celebrate his 24th birthday in March.
His family described him as a 'very loving and caring young man who was happiest trekking'.
His father said he had lived his whole life in Exeter and was well known in junior football circles.
The Foreign Office has not formally named him but said: 'We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Nepal and are in contact with the local authorities.'
Dominic Stewart (pictured), 23, was among 19 people killed when a tourist bus lost control and plunged 650ft down a ravine in Behighat in Dhading district, 50 miles west of Kathmandu
The wreckage of a bus is seen on the bank of the Trishuli River after it drove off a mountain highway near Benighat, west of the capital, Kathmandu, Nepal
Mr Stewart had just completed the popular Annapurna Circuit trekking route and was due to celebrate his 24th birthday in March.
Senior local police officer Prakash Dahal confirmed the toll, saying: 'Out of 44, in total 19 people died, and 25 are undergoing treatment,' adding that one British citizen was among the dead.
The bus had been travelling from the tourist city of Pokhara to Kathmandu when it veered off the road onto the bank of the Trishuli river.
A New Zealander and a Chinese national were among those injured, while China's Xinhua news agency reported one Chinese national was missing.
Rescue operations were completed by dawn, officials said, with the injured taken to hospital.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash.
Road accidents are common in mountainous Nepal, where poor road conditions contribute to hundreds of deaths each year.
Earlier this month, at least 13 people were killed when a bus carrying a wedding party plunged off a mountain road in western Nepal, injuring 34 others.
There were 44 people on board. Nineteen died and 25 were injured.
In August 2024, 14 people died after a bus carrying Indian pilgrims fell 500ft into a ravine in Tanahun district.
Sixteen others were injured and the top part of the bus, which was carrying at least 40 Indian pilgrims, was ripped open in the crash.
The bus was travelling from the tourist city of Pokhara to the capital Kathmandu when the accident occurred in the central district of Tanahun.
There were 43 people on the bus and all of them were Indian nationals, according to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.
A military helicopter was deployed to help transport the rescued passengers as the police and army helped pull people from the wreckage.
A month before, two buses with 59 passengers on board were swept into a river by a landslide in the nearby district of Chitwan.
