Eight members of a family from Ward No. 7 of Bitthadchir Rural Municipality of Bajhang died in the accident, while the remaining two members are also seriously injured and undergoing treatment. The deceased were cremated in a mass funeral in the Kalanga River on Saturday.
What you should know
On Thursday evening, Launsa village of Ward No. 7 of Bitthadchir Rural Municipality was bustling with activity. Ten families of the Brahmin community had gathered in Launsa, where relatives and friends from neighboring villages had gathered.
The locals, who were dancing and singing in preparation for the bride's arrival, heard the news at around 7:30 pm, 'A bus carrying the bride fell in Purchaudi, eight people died.'
Ram Ramita's mood suddenly became shocked.
'Most of the men in the village had gone with the bride,' said local Shankar Dutta Joshi, 'Even after hearing the news, those in the village also searched for a vehicle and went to the accident site.'
The entire Bajhang district has been plunged into mourning after the bus that went to pick up the bride for local Madhav Joshi from Bhaunyan, Baitadi Purchaudi Municipality-7 met with an accident. All the houses in Launsa village have lost relatives. Eight out of 10 houses here have lost family members. The members of the remaining two houses are also seriously injured and undergoing treatment. Shankar Dutta says, 'Everything we have is gone, nothing is left.'
Thirteen people including father-son, brother-in-law, nephew and son-in-law have died here. Narendraraj Joshi and Vishnudatta Joshi, who lost their lives in the accident, are brothers. Both of them are cousins of the groom. Narendraraj is a technical assistant of Bitthadchir Rural Municipality, while Vishnudatta is a teacher at Mahadev Secondary School in Bitthadchir. Basantaraj Joshi, who lost his life, was working as an agricultural technician in Darchula. Basantaraj Ratala of Jayaprithi Municipality-7, who lost his life in the incident, is the nephew of the deceased Basantaraj Joshi. Mohandev Bhatta and Keshavraj Bhatta are father-in-law. The bride's brother-in-law Sushil Joshi also lost his life in the incident. 'The village where the people were waiting had to go to Malami,' says the local Chakra Adhikari, 'Even if there were one or two people, it would have been better.' The entire village was destroyed in the accident. He said that no one in the village could console anyone.
Keshavraj Joshi, 40, Ashokraj Joshi, 13, Bisandutt Joshi, 27, Deepakraj Joshi, 45, Kisandutt Joshi, who lost their lives in the accident, are also from Launsa village. 'There is no one left who has not lost a relative,' said Tej Bohara, a local from Bitthadchir, 'It was as if a thunderbolt had struck the entire village.' The groom's uncle's leg was broken in the incident, while his elder father was also injured. A total of 45 injured people, including 18 women and 27 men, were rescued in the accident.
The victims of the accident were cremated in the Kalanga River on Saturday. People from all over Bajhang district had reached there to pay their last respects to the deceased. Most of the victims of the accident are young people. "Not only Launsa village but also our municipality has lost promising people," said Prem Bohara, former chairman of Bitthadchir Rural Municipality. "Such a disaster is unimaginable." Baitadi Police Chief Deepak Kumar Ray, who inspected the incident site, said that the bus driver, Birendra Budha, who is under police custody, gave a statement that the accident occurred when the pressure pipe of the bus burst on the uphill. He said, "The mechanical examination of the bus is in the process. The cause of the accident will be known after the report comes." He said that considering the nature of the accident site, the road was narrow and it is possible that the driver lost control due to excessive load.
