Dhading District Police Office identified the deceased as Itahari´s Laxmi Dotel, 40. Thirty-six injured, including passengers and bus staff, were rescued from the river. Seven passengers are believed to be missing. [break]
The bus, with loads of mangoes on the roof, took the plunge into the river at 4 am when the passengers were asleep. Bus driver Himal Karki was at the wheel, half-asleep himself, when the bus took the plunge from near the Hilltop Hotel. It was raining when the accident happened.
"Overload could have caused the accident,” said Inspector Prem Sagar KC of Dhading. “Drowsiness could also have caused the accident as the same person had been at the wheel almost throughout the journey,” he added.
“The road was slippery. It is dangerous for a passenger bus to be overloaded for a little more money, especially during monsoon. Over-speeding while feeling drowsy is even more dangerous,” KC further said.
Karki, the bus driver, who is among those rescued by police, said, “I didn´t even realize what was happening. The bus suddenly took the plunge.”
While police voiced the need to make sure that passenger buses are not overloaded, a passenger said buses must have two drivers to take turns so that the one on the wheel is not sleepy.
The injured are receiving treatment at B & B Hospital, Kathmandu Model Hospital and Star Hospital in Kathmandu. The injured are from Udayapur, Siraha, Dhanusha, Sindhuli, Khotang and Okhaldhunga districts.
Though bus driver told police that 42 passengers had boarded the bus in Katari, it is unclear how many of them were in the bus at the time of the accident.
“So far, relatives of seven passengers have said their people are out of contact,” said sub-inspector Chandra Silwal of Area Police Office, Gajuri, Dhading.
According to police estimate, six passengers are still missing. The estimate is based on phone calls from relatives who inquired about the passengers, according to Inspector KC.
Police, army and locals faced difficulty carrying out search operation as the river is swollen by rains. Rescuers tied the bus by ropes. But the ropes snapped sweeping the bus away. Water flow was fiercer Tuesday evening, making search operation additionally difficult.
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