A major road accident occurred near the Nepal border when a bus carrying wedding guests plunged into a deep gorge in Nepal’s Baitadi district, resulting in the death of 13 people and injuries to 34 others. Several of the injured are reported to be in critical condition.
The bus was carrying a wedding procession from Baitadi to Bajhang. On Thursday night, after picking up the bride from Bhavane village of Parchuni Municipality in Baitadi, the bus was heading towards Sunkuda in Bajhang district. Near the Bargao turn in Parchuni area, the bus lost control and fell into a gorge approximately 150 metres deep.
According to Baitadi District Police Office spokesperson Inspector Baldev Badu, rescue operations were carried out during the night by Nepal Armed Police Force, local police, and residents. Six people died on the spot, while five others succumbed to injuries at Dadeldhura Hospital. Two more injured died during treatment at Kotila Hospital.
Among the deceased is a 13-year-old child. The victims include Keshav Raj Joshi (40), Ashok Raj Joshi (13), Basant Raj Joshi (35), Bishnu Dutt Joshi (41), Naresh Raj Joshi (42), Bishan Dutt Joshi (17), Deepak Joshi (28), Kishan Joshi (46), Mohan Dev Bhatt (60), Keshav Bhatt (27), Basant Raj Ratla (40), Pushpa Awasthi (40), and Sushil Joshi.
Police officials stated that the bus was overloaded with a large number of wedding guests. While climbing the hilly stretch, the bus failed to negotiate the slope and went out of control, leading to the accident.
Out of the injured, 25 have been admitted to Dadeldhura Hospital, while five critically injured passengers have been referred to Dhangadhi for advanced treatment. Rescue and relief operations were completed late at night, and further investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.
