Central Nepal reeled from a shocking bus accident in Ramechhap’s Machanetar area, where a vehicle plunged into the Tamakoshi River, killing 12 and injuring eight. The crash occurred at 11 a.m., turning a routine journey into nightmare.
Speaking to media, DSP Bhola Kumar Bhandari said, ‘Control was lost, and the bus fell 100 meters down.’ Rescue crews recovered six bodies on-site; six more died later. Seven hurt badly were sent to Kathmandu hospitals.
The bus, heading from Kathmandu to Pokali with roughly 24 aboard, underscores risks on Nepal’s hilly paths. Coordinated response by police, armed forces, and rescuers extracted survivors amid chaos.
Road fatalities are soaring in Nepal amid infrastructure boom. Stats show 4,999 crashes ten years ago versus 7,669 recently, with 190 deaths—278 grave ones—in the latest year.
The World Bank’s 2020 report warns of soaring costs: road injuries now sap 1.5% of national output, up three-fold since 2007. Impoverished families face ruinous expenses, deepening inequality.
This tragedy demands urgent reforms—rigorous licensing, road engineering fixes, and awareness drives—to stem the rising death toll on Nepal’s accident-prone highways.