The four-seater jeep, which was carrying six people along with bundles of iron-rods, cement, rice grains and other daily essential items, fell 500 meters off the road after failing to pull through a steep slope near Daraukhola.[break]
Driver Raju Pariyar survived the accident by jumping out when the jeep (Ga. 1 Ja) began moving backward.
The jeep, which was heading toward Urampokhara of Parbat from Waling of Syangja district, was carrying altogether 10 passengers before the accident. Four of the passengers, including the jeep owner Padam Thapa, had disembarked from the jeep after Pariyar complained of difficulties in driving the jeep through the uphill road.
“The jeep met with accident as it was overloaded with passengers and goods,” said police inspector Shyam Aryal. “The overloaded jeep could not move through the muddy and sloping road and moved backwards.”
All six victims of the accident are from Urampokhara VDC. The dead have been identified as Basundhara Bhattarai, 68, Man Bahadur Basyal, 64, Dilli Ram Bhushal, 56, who was headmaster at Chandra Secondary School in Urampokhara, Yam Bahadur Thapa, 64, his 18-year-old daughter Jit Kumari Thapa and Bhakta Ram Rana, 76, according to the District Police Office (DPO) of Parbat.
The police have arrested Pariyar accusing him jumping out of the jeep instead of applying the brakes which could have averted the accident.
Meanwhile, according to Tanahu-based Republica correspondent, two children were killed in two different accidents on Wednesday along the Prithivi Highway.
A seven-year-old daughter, Mandira Magar, was killed after being hit by a tipper (Ba. 2 Kha 8095) in Dhading district. 11-year-old Rabin Baral, who reached the accident site, was also overrun by another bus (Na. 3 Kha 7736), according to the police.
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