A four-year-old girl was killed after being hit by a vehicle used for election campaigning by a Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) candidate in Rautahat on Thursday.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Bishnu Prasad Basyal of the District Police Office, Rautahat, said the victim, Alpha Khatun of Mathiyatol in Ishanath Municipality–4, sustained serious injuries after being struck by a vehicle used by RSP candidate Sheikh Sagir. Sagir was reportedly at the door-to-door campaigning at the time of the incident.

The injured child was rushed to City Hospital in Gaur by the driver, who fled after dropping her at the hospital, police said. She was later referred to Provincial Hospital, Gaur, where doctors declared her dead.

"Police are searching for the absconding driver and have launched further investigations into the incident," Basyal said.