KATHMANDU, March 2 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 persons were killed and one person injured when a jeep met with an accident in Darchula district of Far Western Nepal on Friday evening, local police authorities said.

The incident occurred when the jeep skidded off the highway and plunged onto Mahakali River bank in Duhu Rural Municipality in Darchula district, according to local police officer Rabindra Kadayat.

"We recovered 11 dead bodies from the crash site and the rescue operation is underway in coordination with local authorities and residents," the police officer told Xinhua from the crash site on Friday evening.

The deceased include seven women, three men and a girl child, according to the police officer.

The jeep driver, who was seriously injured in the incident, has been taken to neighboring India for further treatment, according to authorities.

The crash site is around 526 km west of Nepal's Capital Kathmandu.

The ill-fated jeep was heading towards Duhu Rural Municipality from the Darchula district headquarters. The cause of the incident has yet to be ascertained, authorities said. Over-speed, drunk-driving and ill maintained roads and vehicles are often taken as major causes of frequent road accidents in the Himalayan country.