At least 31 people, including six of a family, were killed when a passenger bus swerved off the road and plunged into the Trishuli river in Gajuri-5 along the Prithvi Highway on Saturday morning.

The death toll could rise, said police, adding that the exact number of passengers on board the bus is yet to be ascertained. Many people could be missing, said police.

Seven people were injured. One of the critically injured was rushed to Kathmandu while others were receiving treatment at health facilities in Gajuri.

The Kathmandu-bound bus (Na 6 Kha 1467) fell into the river at around 5:30am. The vehicle had hit a gabion wall at a sharp bend and fallen into the river.

Some local youths had immediately reached the accident site and rescued some passengers.

Security personnel of the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force pulled the bodies out of the bus using boats. Some passengers managed to swim to safety.  Police until Saturday evening had identified 29 of the deceased.

One of the victims is an Indian national while all other victims are from Saptari district, mostly from Tilathi Koiladi.

Six family members of Ramanath Jha of Tilathi—his two sons, two daughters and two grandsons—perished in the accident. The victims were returning to the Capital after observing the Chhath festival, which concluded on Friday.  

Driver Santosh Chaudhary is on the run after the accident. Driver’s assistant Naresh Mukhiya of Deurali-15 in Saptari died in the crash.

Passengers who survived the crash said speeding was the cause of the accident.

Shrawan Thakur, a passenger, suspected that the driver had consumed alcohol.

The speed was too much even for the Narayangadh-Muglin road stretch which is being widened and is full of potholes, he added.

“I was travelling with my wife and son. We were in the last seat. I don’t know how I managed to come out of the vehicle,” said Manoj Thakur of Motihari whose wife Mamata Devi died in the accident. His 12-year-old son Manish is missing.