Five people were killed and three others injured in a road accident at Bhadaure along the Katari-Ghurmi road section in Katari Municipality-14, Udayapur, on Sunday morning.

A passenger jeep en route to Manebhanjyang in Okhaldhunga from Bhairahawa in Rupandehi skidded off the road and fell nearly a kilometre downhill, police said. The incident occurred at around 1am.

Among the deceased, four people were from Manebhanjyang Rural Municipality Ward No. 9 in Okhaldhunga while one was from Katari Municipality Ward No. 8 in Udayapur, according to Superintendent of Police Bhim Bahadur Dahal.

“The driver from Rupandehi and two women from Manebhanjyang have sustained injuries in the accident,” said Dahal. “One of the injured women is receiving treatment at Katari hospital while the other two injured have been taken to Biratnagar, as their treatment was not possible in the district.” The critically injured duo has sustained serious head injuries.

Police said the vehicle’s passengers were returning to their villages from Ladakh in India for the upcoming Dashain festival. According to SP Dahal, police suspect brake failure to be the cause behind the accident.

Similarly, in Rukum (West), a jeep swerved off the road and plunged around 300 metres below at Aathbiskot Municipality on Sunday, injuring six people. One of the injured is in a critical condition, said police. The injured are receiving treatment at Aathbiskot Municipal Hospital.