The jeep, which was traveling from Simrutu in Triveni Rural Municipality to five police posts, met with an accident around 5 pm.
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Eight people were killed and 10 others injured when a jeep carrying twice its capacity fell off a cliff in Bafikot Rural Municipality-7, Rukum West, on Friday evening.
The jeep, which had evaded the police while dropping passengers at five posts from Simrutu in Triveni Rural Municipality, met with an accident around 5 pm.
The jeep (Ra 1 Ja 422) fell about 700 meters off the road under construction connecting Sialakhdi in Athbiskot and Gotamkot with the district headquarters. The police have stated that the jeep, which has a capacity of nine passengers, was carrying double the number of passengers (18). The accident occurred around 5 pm when the general public, who were returning home after participating in the ‘Jawan Sangati’ organized by the Christian community in Simrutu in Triveni Rural Municipality, met with an accident.
Those who had come to Sialakhdi to join the jeep Sangati had ‘reserved’. According to Naveen Ari, who was injured in the accident, the driver made some passengers get off and walk while entering four police posts. He said that the jeep fell out of control as soon as the driver said that some part of the vehicle was broken. ‘It is known that some passengers were let off and walked across at four police posts. After going a little further, the driver said that some part was broken, when the vehicle fell. We who were sitting in the back jumped and survived,’ he said.
Tekjung Budha, Kalpana Nepal and Dilmaya Budha of Aathbiskot Municipality-1, Manika Oli, Sharmila BK, Gopal Oli and Savita BK of Ward 2 and Kamala Oli of Ward 3 died in the accident. 10 others, including the jeep driver, were injured. 7 of the injured are being treated at the district hospital and 3 are being treated in Nepalgunj.
There are five police checkpoints between Simrutu, Solabang, Chhinkhet, Magma and Naduwa between the accident site and Simrutu. The jeep was passing through all those checkpoints when the accident occurred. District Police Chief DSP Pramesh Bista said that checks were conducted at all checkpoints and that only 12 people were on board the jeep. ‘Checking has been conducted at all checkpoints. It is seen that 12 people boarded the jeep at that time. Where the other 6 people boarded can only be said after investigation,’ he said. DSP Bista said that businessmen have been carrying passengers without the police’s knowledge and that the passengers themselves are also negligent in this. ‘We have been doing it as usual. But due to commercial gain, the vehicle owner and the passenger’s desire to reach their destination may have boarded the jeep without the police’s knowledge,’ he said.
Since there is only one or two jeeps going from the district headquarters to Syalakhaddi, passengers are forced to board and transport entrepreneurs also carry more loads for the sake of money. Sher Bahadur Yari of Syalakhaddi said that they are forced to board by trudging. ‘The road barely reaches our village. One jeep goes there a day. And people board because they have to reach their homes. It is our fault too. But it is the government’s job to make the roads better and increase the means of transport,’ he said.
