ITAHARI, Feb 3: At least five persons were killed when two passenger vehicles collided head-on along the East-West Highway on Sunday morning.
A bus with registration number Na 5 Kha 3157 en route to Kathmandu from Chandragadhi of Jhapa district collided with a microbus (Na 6 Kha 795) coming from the opposite direction at Ramdhuni-2 in Sunsari district, leaving five dead and 12 injured.
All the deceased were passengers of the microbus. The accident occurred at around 7.30 am. According to police, 28-year-old Dipak Khadka of Dhading, 23-year-old Hem Raj Koirala and 65-year-old Dolmaya Koirala of Jhapa died on the spot.
Bus collision leaves nine dead
Likewise, 17-year-old Garima Gautam of Bhaktapur, and 45-year-old Tanka Prasad Kafle of Jhapa, who were seriously injured in the accident, died in the course of treatment at BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan.
Among the 12 injured, 10 passengers were travelling in the microbus while the other two were passengers of the bus. Of the injured, two are in serious condition, according to police.
Those who are critically injured have been identified as Hem Bahadur Karki, 37, and Sabitra Rai, 35. Both of them are residents of Jhapa.
According to a relative of an injured passenger, both the vehicles were travelling in high speed when the accident occured. DSP Binod Sharma of District Police Office, Sunsari also said that high speed was one of the reasons behind the accident.
The injured are receiving treatment at Golden Hospital in Dharan and Apex Hospital in Itahari.
