At least twelve people were killed in a bus accident in Salyan district on Sunday. Twenty-seven others were injured, 18 of them critically.

According to the District Police Office, the bus en route to Tulsipur, Dang, from Khalanga, Salyan, fell nearly 200 metres from the road at Kharkhola along the Rapti Highway in Kapurkot Rural Municipality-5.

“Twelve people were killed in the accident. Five people died on the spot while seven others succumbed to injuries on the way to the hospital,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Govinda Thapa.

According to Thapa, nine among the deceased are women, two are children and one is a man. Police were yet to ascertain the identity of three of the deceased.

Thapa said there were 41 people on board the bus.

“Eighteen critically injured people were taken to Nepalgunj in a helicopter while others with minor injuries are receiving treatment at the district hospital and other private health institutions in Khalanga,” said Thapa.

Most of the passengers were returning after celebrating the Tihar festival with their family members. Security personnel and the local people reached the site immediately after the incident and rescued some of the victims.

“The cause behind the crash is not yet known. Investigation is underway,” said Arjun Paudel, the information officer at the District Police Office.

The investigation officers, however, suspect that speeding along the poor road might have caused the accident. The bus driver fled the scene after the accident, according to police.

The incident site is a one-hour drive from Khalanga, the district headquarters of Salyan.