Kathmandu, Jul 28 (IANS): As many as 15 Indian pilgrims, including four children, were killed and two injured Saturday when their jeep veered off the road and fell into a river in Nepal, a media report said.

The pilgrims were killed in the accident at Jorte along the Tansen-Tamghas road in Palpa district Saturday morning, reported ekantipur.com.

The passengers were Indian pilgrims who were headed to Rurudham.

Two passengers sustained critical injuries.

Myrepublica.com said the killed were nine women, four children and two men.

Barring the driver, the rest of the dead were the family members of Satendra Lamichhane Magar of Gulmi district. The Magar family had been living in New Delhi.

The media report said that though it happened around midnight, the accident came to light around 7 a.m. after pedestrians spotted the jeep.

Less than a fortnight back July 15, at least 35 pilgrims, most of them Indians, were killed and 12 injured in a road accident in western Nepal after their bus veered off the road and fell into a canal.

The overcrowded bus was carrying about 120 passengers.

The accident occurred in Nawalparasi district when the overcrowded bus roled into the water while heading towards Triveni, a Hindu pilgrimage site, 100 km from capital Kathmandu.

Most of the passengers were Indians who were going to attend a religious fair.