National
Dang bus accident: Death toll climbs to 23, all identified (Update)
The death toll in Dang bus accident has climbed to 23 after another one succumbed to injuries in the course of treatment on Saturday.Durga Lal KC
The death toll in Dang bus accident has climbed to 23 after another one succumbed to injuries in the course of treatment on Saturday. Birendra Kadala of Jumla breathed his last while undergoing treatment at the Nepalgunj Teaching Hospital this morning.
The vehicle carrying the students and teachers of Ghorai-based Krishna Sen Ichchhuk Polytechnic Institute met with the accident when the bus was returning from Kapurkot in Salyan district on Friday.
Bodies of all the deceased have been retrieved and their identities have been established. The rescuers have recovered 19 male bodies and four female from the incident site. Of the deceased, 11 were from Jumla district, six from Dang, and one each from Jajarkot, Bajura, Bajhang, Kanchanpur, Dolpa and Rukum districts.
Police said that 14 persons—nine men and five women—were injured in the incident. Among the injured, 13 are receiving treatment at the Kohalpur Medical College, Banke while one has been referred to the Rapti Zonal Hospital, Tulsipur for further treatment.
The deceased are bus driver Madan Khatri Chhetri, 32, of Ghorahi Sub-Metropolitan City-3; teachers of Ghorai-based Krishna Sen Ichchhuk Polytechnic Institute Pradeep Ghimire 28, of Ghorahi; and Naresh Oli, 28, of Bhume Rural Municipality, Rukum East; Arjun Shahi, of Jumla’s Chandannath Municipality-3; Bipana Khatri, of Chandannath-10; Rupesh Shahi, of Chandannath-10; Ritendra Shahi, of Chandannath-14; Devi Prasad Upadhyay, of Chandannath-5; Hikmat Bohara, of Chandannath-3; Kusum Rawal, of Chandannath-6; Sailaja Shahi, of Hima Rural Municipaity; Janga Bahadur Bk, of Tila Rural Municipality; Ramesh Upadhyay, of Tila-3, Birendra Kendara; of Kanchha Sundari Rural Municipality-5; Sanjit Ratgaiyan; of Dang’s Dankshisharan Rural Municipality-5; Bijaya GM, of Ghorahi-14; Kabita Khatri, of Babai Rural Municipaity-5; Atish Nepali, of Jajarkot Khalanga Municipality-4; Gajendra Aaindi, of Dolpa’s Gajadulla Rural Municiaplity; Khem Raj Bhatta, of Kanchanpur’s Krishnanagar Municipality-5; Mahesh Joshi, of Bajhang’s Jaya Prithvi Municipatliy; Lokendra Rawal, of Bajura’s Budhi Ganga Rural Municipality-10.
According to the District Police Office, Dang, there were 37 people—34 students, two teachers and a diver—onboard the bus when the incident occurred.
The fatal crash occurred when the bus (Ba 4 Kha 9766) swerved off the road and fell some 700 metres down at Ramri along the Tulsipur-Salyan road section yesterday evening.
DSP Prem Bahadur Shahi of the Area Police Office, Tulsipur, said that the bus was completely damaged in the incident. The incident site is 12 km north from Tulsibazaar.
Chief District Office (CDO) Govinda Prasad Rijal said all the security officers of the district and police personnel from the all the security agencies were deployed for the rescue operation following the incident.
Police identified the injured as Manika Rijal, 16, of Bangalachuli Rural Municipality-1, Kushendra Khatri, 16, of Chandannath Rural Municipality-3, Julma, Jeevan Bhandari, 17, of Chandnath-2, Yuvaraj Dhungana, 19, of Mangalsen Municipality-19, Achham, Rojina Pun, 16, of Sanobheri Rural Municipality-3, Rukum West, Himali Hamal, 18, of Tatopani Rural Municipality-14, Jumla, Parsa Rokaya, 16, of Chandannath Municipality-4, Jumla.
Likewise, Samikchya Rokaya, 17, of Tikapur Municipality-8, Kailali, Bikram Bhandari, 18, of Mangalsen Municipality, Achham, Prem Bahadur Khadka, 16, of Tribeni Rural Municipality-3, Rukum West, Sanjay Khanal, 18, of Ghorahi-14, Rajan Dangi, 19, of Rukum West, Bhadra Bista, 16, of Mangalsen Municipality-5, Achham and Prakash Oli, 17, of Pariwartan Rural Municipality-4, Rolpa also sustained injuries in the accident.