The bus sank after losing balance while being towed from Udayapur to Bhojpur on a ferry made from plastic drums using local resources.
What you should know
A bus carrying passengers from the ferry connecting Udayapur and Bhojpur has drowned in the Sunkoshi River.
The bus sank after losing balance while being towed from Udayapur to Bhojpur on a ferry made using local resources by connecting plastic drums. The bus belongs to Ratna Tamang, one of the ferry operators.
According to Rohit Tamang, former ward chairman of Chaudandigadhi Municipality-1, the bus number Ba3kha 6339, which was heading from Itahari to Balkha in Bhojpur, sank in the Sunkoshi. The driver, who drowned along with the bus, has been rescued by locals. Human casualties have been avoided as the passengers are being towed from the bus.
The ferry is being towed across the Koshi by connecting it to a generator and using iron poles to avoid risks, and large vehicles such as buses, Boleros, and tractors are also being towed on it. Locals say that ferry operators charge up to Rs 2,000 for Boleros and small vehicles and up to Rs 4,000 for buses, tractors, and large vehicles.
The motorable concrete bridge on the Ranitar of the Sunkoshi River connecting Udayapur and Bhojpur has not been built even after more than a decade since its foundation stone was laid in 2074 BS. After the bridge was not built, a group including local Ratna Tamang had been building and operating a ferry with an investment of about 2.5 million. In the absence of a bridge, locals are forced to use the same ferry to cross the river.
Passenger buses, on the other hand, drop passengers on the suspension bridge and ferry buses from the ferry, informed local Ambebar Rai. Confirming that a passenger bus had submerged in the Sunkoshi, Police Inspector Prabhat Subba of the Area Police Office Beltar informed that police have been deployed on the spot.
