Om Bahadur Malla of Gunandi, Byas Municipality-5, Tanahun, returned after living in Saudi Arabia for 7 years. Five years ago, he came to Nepal and bought a deluxe bus that runs on Pokhara-Kathmandu route. He and his wife Sukmaya met with an accident while going to Kathmandu in their own bus.

His bus number Ga 2 Kha 1421 fell into Trishuli from Prithvi Highway at Bhainsigaunda, Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality-5, Dhading around 1:30 am on Monday. Om Bahadur, 39, died in his own bus. His wife has broken ribs and hands. She has a head injury. He is being treated at the trauma center. His condition is moderate. The bus driver Sujit Nepali also died in the accident, while his assistant Pratik Poudel is injured.

According to Bishnukumar Shrestha, ward chairman of Byas Municipality-5, Malla has a son and a daughter. According to Newari tradition, the daughter had been in the cave for a week. The cave had to be dug out in 12 days and the Malla couple were going to Kathmandu at that time to buy clothes and other things.

‘We are members of the same Guthi.’ I had reached home after receiving the news of the accident in the morning,’ he said, ‘Other times, the driver and conductor would have left the bus.’ He said that the daughter could not be taken out of the cave before the 12 days were up. The daughter was scheduled to be dug out on 17 Falgun.