A jeep carrying seven people including former Home Minister Madhav Prasad Ghimire has plunged into the Trishuli river in Chitwan district at around 4 pm Sunday. Three people including Ghimire have gone missing and his mother and two others have been found dead.

Driver of the ill-fated jeep, police head constable Bishnu Rai has been badly injured in the accident.

The jeep (Ba 9 Cha 1531) en route to Kathmandu went missing as it tumbled into the river at Ghoptebheer of Dahrechok in Chitwan.

According to Chief District Officer of Chitwan, Binod Prakash Singh, security personnel have retrived the bodies of Ghimire’s mother Chaitanya Kumari, Armed Police Force Sub-Inspector Ram Chandra Karki and Ghimire’s nephew Narayan Kafle.  

Chitwan Police Chief Basanta Kunwar said that Ghimire and his two brothers Prakash Ghimire and Mohan Ghimire have been missing. The Ghimire family was returning to Kathmandu after performing Sorha Shradha—an annual commemorative ceremony in honour of deceased ancestors—in Kagbeni of Mustang district.

Initial police investigation has showed that Ghimire was driving the vehicle by himself. A former Chief Secretary, Ghimire had served as Home Minister and Foreign Minister in the technocrat government led by former Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has expressed his sadness over the accident and called on the security personnel to expedite the serach operation.