Kathmandu: Tragedy struck a group of pilgrims from India after the micro-bus they were travelling in plunged into a gorge in the Gorkha district of Nepal on Saturday evening. At least seven Indian pilgrims are feared dead in the accident.
Authorities said that the accident occurred when the pilgrims were returning after offering prayers at the Manakamana Temple.
Raj Kumar Shrestha, DSP, Gorkha district, said that the pilgrims died after the micro-bus plunged off the road into a gorge in the Kantar area of Sahid Lakhan Rural Municipality.
“Seven pilgrims have been injured and have been sent to Chitwan Medical College in Bharatpur, Chitwan district, for treatment,” Shrestha said. The rescue operation was still underway, the police confirmed.
The microbus was carrying over a dozen passengers, the local administration said, as reported by News18.
“The microbus was heading towards the Anbukhaireni area of Tanahun district, west of the Manakamana Temple, but it is not immediately clear where the passengers were heading after concluding their visit to the temple,” Tulasi Bahadur Shrestha, chief district officer of Gorkha, told IANS.
The electric micro-bus crashed on a steep stretch of the road, the police said, adding that the exact cause is yet to be determined.
Poor road conditions, particularly in the rural areas, and the rise in the number of vehicles has led to an escalation in the number of accidents in Nepal over the last few years.
The Nepal Traffic Police had reported 4,999 road accidents a decade ago. In the fiscal year 2024-25, the country recorded 7,669 road accidents and 190 deaths, as per official records.
