TAPLEJUNG: A tragic incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday when a Bolero jeep heading to the Pathibhara temple caught fire after reportedly coming into contact with a live electric wire.

The accident took place near Gundre and Tersai along the Kaflepati road stretch of Phungling Municipality-10 at around 4:50 a.m.

According to police and local sources, the jeep, which had left from Phungling Bazaar carrying pilgrims from Lalitpur, was engulfed in flames after a fallen electrical wire struck the vehicle.

Journalist Basanta Limbu reported that the fire resulted in the deaths of four individuals on the spot, while two others were injured and taken to a hospital for treatment.

The victims include 45-year-old driver Durga Bhattarai from Furumbu, Phungling-10; 16-year-old Adhya Acharya; her maternal grandfather, 70-year-old Binod Poudel of Bhadrapur-15, Jhapa; and her 69-year-old grandmother, Sarita Poudel. All were part of the same family traveling for religious purposes.

Sabina Acharya, also known as Sandhya, aged 45, sustained serious burn injuries and is in critical condition. Authorities are preparing to airlift her for further medical care. Her nine-year-old son, Abhiyab Acharya, was also in the vehicle but suffered only minor injuries.

District Police Inspector Bivek Basnet confirmed the incident and noted that further investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause and sequence of events.