Kathmandu, February 23
A passenger bus travelling from Pokhara to Kathmandu plunged into the Trishuli River, killing six women and eleven men. Authorities have confirmed that 27 injured passengers were rescued and sent to various hospitals.
According to Dhading Chief District Officer Bijayraj Subedi, the identities of the deceased and injured have yet to be established.
Foreign tourists were also among those involved in the accident. One of them is a citizen of New Zealand.
The bus, bearing registration number Ga 2 Kha 1421, was en route to Kathmandu from Pokhara along the Prithvi Highway when it veered off the road around 1 am near Bhaisengaunda in Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality–5, Dhading, and fell toward the banks of the Trishuli River. The bus was found in a severely damaged condition about 300 meters below the road.
Rescuers used boats to transport passengers about one kilometre downstream from the crash site. From there, they were carried uphill to the road and placed in ambulances before being taken to hospitals.
Chief District Officer Subedi said the nighttime conditions, difficult terrain, and lack of rescue equipment made the operation challenging.
“We rescued the injured using flashlights. We felt a shortage of rescue equipment,” Subedi told Onlinekhabar from the incident site.
According to him, a total of 27 people, eight women, 18 men, and one girl, were rescued and sent to different hospitals. Six women and 11 men have been confirmed dead.
Rescue teams from the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Police were deployed at the scene. A team led by DSP Sunil Giri from the Armed Police Force’s Disaster Management Base in Adamghat, along with a diving team from the Disaster Management Training School in Kurintar, also participated in the rescue operation.
