Major road accident in Nepal: Passenger bus falls into Trishuli River, 18 dead; 27 injured

Kathmandu (The Uttam Hindu): At least 18 people lost their lives in a tragic road accident near Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. A passenger bus traveling from Pokhara to Kathmandu plunged into the Trishuli River in the Benighat Rorang area of Dhading district. The deceased include six women and twelve men.

According to police, a total of 45 passengers were on board at the time of the accident. Twenty-seven injured passengers were rescued and admitted to different hospitals for treatment. Among the deceased were one male and one female foreign national, reportedly from New Zealand. The accident occurred around 1 a.m. on the Prithvi Highway while the bus was heading toward Kathmandu. The vehicle was found about 300 meters below the road near the banks of the Trishuli River in a severely damaged condition.

Rescue operations faced significant challenges due to the late-night timing, difficult terrain, and limited resources. Chief District Officer Subedi stated that injured passengers were pulled out using torchlight. They were brought up from nearly one kilometer downstream by boat, then transported to the road above and shifted to hospitals by ambulance. He confirmed that 27 individuals, including eight women, eighteen men, and one girl, were rescued and taken for medical care.

Teams from the Nepali Army, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Police jointly carried out the rescue operation at the site. A team led by DSP Sunil Giri from the Armed Police Force’s Disaster Management Base at Adamghat, along with divers from the Disaster Management Training School in Kurintar, was deployed for the operation. Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the accident.