Dhading bus plunge kills at least eight, 17 rescued alive

Published On: August 23, 2023 09:29 PM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

Kathmandu, Aug 23: At least eight people have been confirmed dead in a bus accident in Dhading on Wednesday.

According to the police, eight people (six men and two women) were killed on the spot, and over a dozen others were injured when the passenger bus (Province 3-01-005 Kha 9952) skidded off the road and fell into the Trishuli River at Chhahara of Chalise in Gajuri Rural Municipality-2, Dhading. The bus was headed for Beni of Myagdi district from Kathmandu

The deceased included a child and two women, said the locals, who were voluntarily involved in rescue efforts.

The identities of six of the eight deceased have been established. The deceased have been identified as Than Bahadur Bhandari, 50, of Raghuganga-3 in Myagdi district, Kritika Sharma Paudel, 15, of Modi-1 in Parbat district, Sushil Ramtel, of around 20, of Gajuri-8 in Dhading district, Suman Thapa, 24, of Fulbari-11 in Kaski district, Radhika Sapkota, 42, of Jaljala-6, Parbat district and Jhapat Bahadur Chhetri, 45, of Modi Rural Municipality-5 of Parbat.

At least 17 injured people have been rescued, and of them 13 were sent to Kathmandu for treatment, and four others are receiving treatment at the Gajuri Community Hospital, said Superintendent of Police Gautam Mishra.

A team of divers were deployed to search for the missing people, he added.

A joint team of the Nepalese Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and local people was deployed for the rescue efforts. It is presumed that the ill-fated bus met with the accident while overtaking. The search and rescue operation was called off at 5:50 pm on Wednesday.

The bus driver Deepak Thapa, 30, sustained head injuries and is undergoing treatment at Trauma Centre, Kathmandu. His condition is said to be normal.

Meanwhile, 46-year-old Sunita Chhantyal of Myagdi, Gautam Chhantyal, 29, of Beni and Sudeep Mandal, 35, of Bangladesh have sustained serious injuries. They are undergoing treatment at the Trauma Centre.

Similarly, 22-year-old Anju Rana Magar of Annapurna Rural Municipality-3 sustained head injuries and is undergoing treatment at Vayodha Hospitals in Kathmandu. Her condition is said to be serious. Twenty-nine-year old Prabin Pun of Raghuganga Rural Municipality also sustained serious head injuries and is undergoing treatment in the same hospital.