In yet another accident blamed on reckless driving, a bus skidded off the road and fell over a cliff at Sahajpur-2 on the Bhimdutta Highway in Kailali district on Saturday morning, killing 12 and injuring 30 people.
The vehicle (Na 5 Kha 5420) fell 100 metres just after Friday midnight. Police said the bus was headed for Mahendranagar from Dipayal, the district headquarters of Doti, with 42 passengers on board. The incident site is about 50km north of Attariya, Kailali.
Survivors blame careless driving for the disaster. “The driver got off the vehicle complaining of a flat tyre. The vehicle veered off the road as he had left the driving seat,” said Harka Bahadur Khadka at Padma Hospital in Attariya. He charged that the driver had abandoned the vehicle in the middle of the road with the engine running.
Police officials who reached the site after the incident also suspected driver’s negligence. “The road is not narrow and steep. The driver could stop the vehicle on his side,” said traffic police head constable Tularam Shahi.
Driver Janakraj Giri and his assistant Navin Bhatta are in police custody. The driver told the police that he had failed to control the bus.
Eight passengers died on the spot while four others succumbed to injuries during treatment. Security personnel reached the site 45 minutes after the incident and rescued the victims.
Six critically injured patients have been taken to hospitals across the border in India. The deceased are from Doti district, seven of them from Daud VDC. Most of the victims were India-bound for employment.
Accident victims' kin refuse to collect bodies
Kin of victims of Friday’s Kailali bus accident have denied collecting bodies demanding compensation.
The bodies have been kept at the Seti Zonal Hospital, Dhangadhi after autopsy.
Family members of the victims have also accused the Mahakali Transport Entrepreneurs’ Association of neglecting the demand for compensation.
Representatives of the Association did not even visit the family members to express condolence, they said.
“So we will not receive the bodies till we get compensation,” Hem Nagari, member from a victim’s family said.
Nagari also accused the Association of neglecting them because they are from Dalit and poor families.
The families have demanded a compensation of Rs 325,000 per person.
Entrepreneurs’ Association Chairman Baburam Sharma said the Association is ready to provide Rs 25,000 per person for funeral and give Rs 75,000 per person later.
The kith and kin of the victims had met Chief District Officer (CDO) Mahadev Panthi this morning demanding compensation.
“But, I asked them to coordinate with the District Police Office (DPO),” Panthi said.
DPO chief SP Bikram Chand, however, said he is out of the district for a task. “But, I will work for compensation as per law,” he said.
Sunday 30 November 2014
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