Six people died and more than 40 others were injured in separate road accidents in Doti, Palpa and Mugu districts on Tuesday and Wednesday.

A speeding bus swerved off the road and plunged 100 feet below in Purbichauki, Doti, at around 6am on Wednesday, killing three persons and injuring 33 others. Six of the injured are reportedly in a critical condition.

According to the District Police Office in Doti, the bus en route to Achham was carrying Nepali returnees from India. The deceased were from Mangalsain-7, Bannigadh Jayagadh-3 and Chaurpati-4 in Achham district. One among the deceased was the driver's assistant while the other two were returnees from India.

Security personnel and locals rescued the victims and rushed them to Doti Hospital. According to Dr Prakash Thakulla, six critically injured people, including a 10-month-old baby, were referred to Sudurpaschim Provincial Hospital in Dhangadhi for treatment.

“Overspeeding and foggy weather were the main causes behind the accident,” said Superintendent of Police Janakraj Pandeya.

In another road mishap, two people died and six others were injured in a jeep accident in Nisdi Rural Municipality, Palpa, on Tuesday evening.

The jeep, which was heading to Gakdha from Jyamire in Nisdi, fell around 700 metres below the road.

Police identified the deceased as residents of Nisdi-5. One of the two deceased was a three-month-old infant. The injured are receiving treatment at Lumbini Medical College in Palpa. The driver and his assistant fled the scene after the accident, said police.

Meanwhile, in Mugu, a man died and 10 others sustained injuries in a jeep accident at Nigale on Wednesday. The vehicle was heading to Tarapani from Gamgadhi, the district headquarters, when the accident took place. The injured are receiving treatment at the district hospital.

(Raj Bahadur Shahi contributed reporting from Mugu)