Drunk driving kills 10 people in Province 1 during Dashain

Published On: October 23, 2018 03:00 AM NPT By: Amar Khadka

ITAHARI, Oct 23: Nabul Nungeli Magar, 35, of Udayapur lost his life after the autorickshaw he was on board toppled near Ghurmi of Udayapur along Siddhicharan Highway during Dashain. Karna Bahadur Rai, the driver of the auto rickshaw with registration number Sa 1 Ha 1727, was driving the vehicle in high speed, which apparently is the reason behind the accident.

Similarly, on October 11, two people were killed after their motorbike (Ko 12 Pa 9682) collided with a truck (Na 5Kha 1920) in Belbari of Morang. Karna Kumar Rai, 45, of Belbari-4 was driving in high speed under the influence of alcohol while pillion rider Man Kumar Rai, 40, was also drunk. Karna Kumar died on the spot while Man Kumar lost his life in course of treatment.

On the same day, Nimu Lamu Sherpa, 32, of Khorehang-2, Khotang died after falling from a tractor in Kanepokhari-7, Morang. These are some of the cases of accidents during Dashain. Accidents are very much common in Nepal during festive season.

Heavy flow of vehicles on the roads, overcrowding of passengers, carelessness of drivers, over speeding, drunk driving among others are the major reasons which lead to accidents during this time. According to traffic police, 14 districts of Province 1 recorded high number of accidents this year.

"Ninety-nine percent of the accidents were the result of drunk driving," said Superintendent of Police (SP) Rabi Kumar Paudel, chief of Province 1 Traffic Police Office, Itahari. According to him, most of the accidents occurred in inner roads and streets.

"However, we were able to curb accidents along the highways due to the use of radar gun and increased surveillance," said SP Paudel.

Altogether 10 people died in various accidents in Province 1 from October 11 to October 21 during this Dashain. Five of the deceased were from Morang, two each from Jhapa and Udayapur while one was from Paanchthar.

As per the records maintained by traffic police, a total of 41 accidents occurred during this period where 47 others were injured.

Last month, 25 persons were killed in various accidents in Province 1 while 19 people were killed during last Dashain.