Kathmandu, 23 Feb : At least 18 people died and 23 others were hurt when a passenger bus crashed after midnight in Dhading district of Nepal. The accident happened around 1:30 am at Bhaisigauda in Benighat-Rorang Rural Municipality 5 along the busy Prithvi Highway. According to police, the bus with registration number Ga 1 Kha 1421 (ग २ ख १४२१) was on its way to Kathmandu from Pokhara when the driver lost control. The bus went off the road and fell towards the Trishuli River.
After the crash, a rescue team from the Disaster Management Training School of the Armed Police Force Nepal in Kurintar went to the scene, along with trained divers. Personnel from the Nepal Police and the Nepali Army also joined the rescue mission.
Authorities mentioned that the operation faced many difficulties due to darkness and the dangerous terrain along the riverbank. The bodies of the 18 victims are still at the accident site, and identification procedures are currently ongoing.
The 24 injured passengers were rescued and taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, said Armed Police Force spokesperson DSP Shailendra Thapa. The exact cause of the accident is still unknown, and police have started a detailed investigation into the incident.
