Twenty-three people were injured in the accident. [break]
The accident allegedly occurred as the driver of the vehicle that was carrying 43 people dozed off while driving. The passengers were asleep when the accident occurred.
All the deceased are from Tarapatti Sirsiya 4 and 5 of Dhanusha, according to Sunsari District Police Office (DPO).
The deceased have been identified as Sumindra Devi Mukhiya, Sunti Devi Yadav, Sumitra Devi Yadav, Rita Devi Yadav, Kumar Devi Yadav, Mantoriya Devi Yadav, Ambika Devi Yadav, Paro Devi Yadav, Kevali Devi Yadav, Bhuli Devi Yadav, Dharma Raj Yadav, Phul Kumari Yadav, Suklal Yadav, Tritari Devi Yadav, Ijjati Devi Yadav, Kumari Yadav, Ramraj Devi Yadav and Lakhan Devi Yadav.
Seventeen of them died on the spot and one Lakhan Devi succumbed while being treated at B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS), according to Eastern Regional Traffic Police Office.
According to Palat Yadav, one of the survivors, the tractor´s driver had stopped at Koshi Barrage for rest. “The tractor stopped for about an hour at the barrage and then drove non-stop,” said Yadav.
“We were all asleep. The driver must have felt asleep as well which led to the accident. I survived because I managed to jump out as the tractor plunged into the canal.” The fact that the tractor veered off and plunged into the canal along the wrong side of the road lends credence to Yadav´s assumption that the driver must have fallen asleep.
After the accident, it was Palat who called villagers for help. The villagers initially rescued those who were not trapped by the tractor´s trolley. But one woman died as soon as she was rescued.
When a team of Armed Police Force (APF) men from Siddhakali Battalion in Pakali pulled out the trolley using ropes, only one person under it was alive.
“The trolley had detached from the tractor and overturned,” said APF Sub-Inspector Purna Bahadur Limbu, who was involved in rescue operation. “It took time for us to lift the trolley using ropes. Had the trolley not overturned and crushed the passengers, there would have been lesser casualties,” he added.
All the dead bodies have been sent to Dhanusha after conducting post-mortem at District Hospital in Inaruwa, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police Yamuna Rajak of Sunsari.
Of those who swam and survived, 18 are being treated at District Hospital Inaruwa, while five are being treated at BPKIHS.
The tractor´s driver Ram Mukhiya is absconding and police are searching for him. The passengers were traveling to a five-day religious fair that started on Kartik Ekadashi and fell on Sunday this week. The villagers of Tarapatti Sirsiya had rented the tractor for Rs 7,000 from one Mahendra Mukhiya for attending the fair. “
Since we wanted to return the same day owing to work, we had decided to travel throughout the night without rest,” said Palat.
Pilgrims from various parts of Nepal and from India come to visit the Ekadashi fair.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Surendra Shah of Eastern Regional Police Office, Biratnagar, said an investigation would be launched into the accident. “There has been a weakness on the part of police in allowing a tractor meant for agricultural purpose to carry so many people,” he said. Survivors said they did not encounter traffic police all along the way during their travel.
Dharanidhar Khatiwada, eastern regional administrator, admitted negligence by concerned authorities. “The concerned authorities will be instructed to increase vigilance to prevent possible future accidents,” he said, adding that effort has been initiated to provide compensation to the bereaved families through home ministry.
Past Accidents
There have been major accidents along the Jhumka-Chatara road section in the past as well. On May 9, 2006, a tempo overloaded with school children fell into the canal killing 13 students of Moonlight Boarding School, Jhumka. In the monsoon of 1996, a mini-bus fell into the canal killing 22 people.
Despite the accidents, there has not been any concrete effort to prevent such accidents along this road section.
Accident survivor´s account
We were all asleep: Palat Yadav
As in the past years, we all villagers decided to attend Barahakshetra fair this year, too. We hired a tractor owned by Mahendra Mukhiya, one of our neighbors, for Rs 7,000. We left for Barahakshetra Wednesday evening.
We did not stop anywhere until we reached Koshi barrage. There, the driver stopped the tractor and said, “I am very tired. Let us take rest for some time.” After stopping for almost one hour there, we again moved on toward Barahakshetra. The tractor kept moving on all night. Almost all of us were asleep.
By Thursday morning, we were moving along the bank of an irrigation channel that connects Jhumka bazaar of Sunsari with Barahakshetra. The tractor suddenly overturned. All of us fell into the channel. I saved my life by swimming. But, my wife Rita Devi, niece Ambika, aunt Kumar Devi and sister-in-law Kumari could not survive. Many of my relatives also died.
As our plan was to return by Thursday evening itself, we were in a little rush. Had we not rushed, perhaps the tragedy would not have occurred. Oh God, what a tragic day we chose to go on a pilgrimage.
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