Five die, over 50 injured in separate road accidents in Rukum West, Jhapa

Five people were killed in separate road accidents in Rukum West, a district in Karnali province and Jhapa, a district in Koshi province.

Two persons died and 22 others were injured when a jeep skidded off the road and met with an accident at Gairijiula of Chaurjahari-8, Rukum West today morning. The deceased have been identified as Masta Bahadur Oli, 45, of Chaurjahari Municipality-13 and seven-year-old Pratik Buda of Sanibheri Rural Municipality-2.

Of the injured including the driver of the ill-fated jeep, five are said to be in serious condition and preparations were underway to airlift them to Kathmandu in coordination with the Ministry of Home Affairs, said Pushpa Badi, mayor of Chaurjahari Municipality. The injured are receiving treatment at the Mission Hospital in Chaurjahari, he said. Overload is blamed for the accident, police estimated.

The jeep (Lu 1 Ja 2297) heading to Khalanga from Chaurjahari Municipality skidded off the road and plunged into the Bheri river along the Gairijiula road of the Mid-Hill Highway. Investigations were underway, said Inspector Bishnu Prasad Shrestha.

Similarly, the death toll in a road accident at Kolbung of Rong Rural Municipality in Ilam, a district in Koshi province in the eastern part of the country, has hit three.

The latest victims have been identified as Manwati Lama, 35, of Dhanushadham Municipality-9 and Shanta Maya Tamang, 60, of the same village. They died at the B&C Hospital in Birtamod, Jhapa, said Khagendra Rijal, spokesperson for the district police office, Jhapa.

Earlier, one Arpan Lama, 12, of the municipality-9 died in the accident. He died on the spot. On Sunday, a bus (Na 6 Kha 8424) skidded off the road and fell around 300 metres, killing three and injuring at least 33 others including the driver. The injured were receiving treatment at the B&C Hospital, said the police. Two of the injured are reported to be in serious condition.