The passenger bus (Lu 1 Kha 6231) which left for Butwal collided with the Sandhikharka-bound truck (Lu 1 Kha 7827). Eight died on the spot while the others died while being rushed to Sandhikharka, the district headquarters. The incident site is 13 kilometres from Sandhikharka.

Twenty-three seriously injured passengers were airlifted to Kathmandu by a Nepal Army helicopter while the others are receiving treatment at Lumbini Zonal Hospital in Butwal.

Making matters worse a jeep set off for the rescue in the incident site met with an accident, killing a person and injuring few others. One Tam Bahadur Kumal of Wangla-9 sitting on the vehicle's roof died in the incident.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Dipendra GC said that the speeding bus and the truck collided and fell some 200 metres below. The bus was badly damaged in the incident while the truck was just overturned. All the deceased were the passengers of the bus.

"The truck hit the bus. The bus immediately swerved off the road while the truck, imbalanced after the collision, fell after few minutes," Police Inspector Govinda Panthi quoted the witnesses as saying. The driver and three passengers of the truck survived after jumping off the vehicle.

The truck loaded with some 200 cooking gas cylinders overturned and hit the already fell bus. The cylinders scattered after the incident hit the injured passengers of the bus. "There could be less number of casualties if there were not gas cylinders," said Panthi.

The security personnel, after inspecting the accident, suspect that the crash occurred mainly due to the carelessness of the truck's driver who absconded after the incident.

The name of the deceased is listed below.

1.    Bishu Acharya, Wangla-2 Arghakhanchi

2.    Janardan Acharya, Wangla-2 Arghakhanchi

3.    Mina Devi Acharya, Wangla-2 Arghakhanchi

4.    Krishna Shrestha, Butwal

5.    Chandra Lal Shrestha, Arghakhanchi

6.    Abutala Alam (Indian national)

7.    Dhaniswori Bagale Magar, Narapani Arghakhanchi

8.    Anita Belbase, Arghakhanchi

9.    Janak Khanal, Pyuthan

10.    Nur Alam (Indian national)

11.    Yam Jaru (Indian national)

12.    Basanti Khanal, Arghakhanchi

13.    Tilkala Belbase, Arghakhanchi

14.    Narendra Banjade, Dharapni Arghakhanchi

15.    Chhabi Shrees, Rupandehi

16.    Taam Bahadur Punam Magar, Wangla-2 Arghakhanchi

17.    Ganesh Belbase, Arghakhanchi

18.    Shanta Acharya, Wangla-2 Arghakhanchi