Electric microbus plunges 500 metres off Nepal road, killing at least 14

An electric microbus carrying 20 people plunged about 500 metres off a mountain road in Nepal's Makwanpur district early on Thursday (November 12), killing at least 14 people and injuring six. Authorities said six members of one family were among the dead, and the toll rose through the day from 10 reported in the morning.

Bus ran off the road on the way home

According to Radio Nepal, the state broadcaster, the crash happened at about 5:45 a.m. near Chisapani Gadhi in Bhimphedi Rural Municipality-6, on the Bhimphedi–Kulekhani–Kathmandu road. The microbus, registration Madhesh Province 03-001 Ja 0880, was travelling from the capital Kathmandu to Sarlahi district in the south, carrying mostly villagers heading home to celebrate the Chhath festival. It ran off the road on a bend and fell into a gorge. Reports differ slightly on the exact time and depth of the fall (about 500 to 700 metres), and officials are still verifying the details.

Six members of one family killed

Deputy Superintendent of Police Madhav Kafle of the Makwanpur District Police Office said searchers found three more bodies on Thursday afternoon, bringing the death toll to 14. The dead include nine men and five women and children. Six were from one family — 35-year-old Punam Devi Yadav, her three daughters aged 10, 6 and 5, and two other male relatives. The driver, 30-year-old Ravi Shankar Kumar Mandal, also died. The identities of the remaining victims are still being established. Among the six injured are children aged 3 and 5 and a 14-month-old baby; two are in critical condition and were taken to Hetauda Hospital.

Investigation committee formed

The Makwanpur District Administration Office has formed a five-member committee to investigate the cause of the crash, which has not yet been established. Rescue and relief work is continuing, and the death toll may still change. Sources: Radio Nepal; ANI; IANS.