The committee formed to investigate the Dhading bus accident has submitted its report to Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal.

The taskforce was formed after a passenger skidded off the road and fell into the bank of the Trishuli river at Bhaisegauda in ward 5 of Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality in Dhading district killing 19 people. Twenty-five people were injured. The incident took place on February 23. The bus (Ga 2 Kha 1421) was headed from Pokhara to Kathmandu along the Prithvi Highway.

The seven-member committee, led by Joint Secretary Rishiram Tiwari of the Ministry of Home Affairs, submitted the report on Friday after about two weeks of investigation.

Members of the taskforce included Senior Superintendent of Police Bhuwaneshwar Tiwari; Senior Superintendent of Armed Police Force Bharat Khaniya; General Secretary of of the Federation of Nepal National Transport Entrepreneurs, Kiran Kumar Khadka; Rakesh Maharjan of the Department of Roads; and Director of the Department of Transport Management, Shrikanta Yadav.

Undersecretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Brata Raj Paudel was member secretary.

The taskforce concluded that factors including loss of driver’s control of the bus, fatigue, night-time driving and possible distraction were blamed for the accident.

The panel recommended the immediate introduction of a driver fatigue management system for public transport, limits on drivers’ working hours during night bus operations with mandatory rest, and the installation of digital monitoring systems in public vehicles.

Receiving the report, Aryal said the government would make quick efforts to implement its recommendations.