Five people were killed and 20 injured when a tractor carrying 25 construction workers fell off a cliff in ​​Bhandara in East Chitwan at 7:30 pm on Sunday.

According to DSP Surya Bahadur Thapa, District Police Office, Chitwan, the condition of the injured is critical.

“Five people died on the spot. The injured have been taken to Teaching Hospital of Old Medical College in Bharatpur for treatment,” said Thapa.

The injured were taken to the hospital in five ambulances.

Labour contractor Bishram Mahato with his team of more than 20 people was returning to Bhandara from Rapti Municipality Ward No. 11 after wrapping up the day’s work at a construction site. Mahato was riding on a motorbike with his nephew a little ahead of the tractor carrying the workers.

“We had just passed a difficult turn and stopped to wait for the tractor,” said Mahato. “The tractor was trying to take the turn when it fell off the steep cliff. We rushed to the site where people were crying out in pain. My nephew called for the ambulance and the rescue work soon began.”

“I had never seen such a terrible thing in my 25 years of working in the construction sector,” he added.

According to him, none of the workers has accident insurance. “The workers are paid upto Rs800 per day depending on the work they do at the construction site.”