KATHMANDU: As many as 1,754 accidents that occurred during the lockdown period starting from March 24 to June 15 have taken the lives of 193 people.

The data made public by Nepal Police shows that there had been 192 accidents in the lockdown period in Chaitra i.e. between March 24 to April 12. Twenty-eight people lost their lives in these accidents.

Similarly, 639 accidents occurred in the duration between April 13 to May 13 and 52 people lost their lives.

According to the police data, the month of Jestha, i.e. the duration between May 14 to June 14, saw the highest number of accidents and the death toll in them. There had been 923 accidents in this period in which 113 people lost their lives.

Thus, 1,754 accidents taking place in this period have taken lives of 193 people including 150 men, 29 women, 11 boys and 5 girls. The data reveals that there have been 480 cases of serious injury in these accidents.

Province wise analysis shows that Province 5 saw the highest death toll in this period whereas Karnali Province has the least number of the death toll by accidents. The police data shows that 49 people lost their lives in Province 5, whereas Karnali Province lost 8 lives in the accidents.

According to the data, Province 1 saw 35 deaths whereas Province 2 and Bagmati Province saw 35 and 20 deaths by accidents respectively. Similarly, 12 people in Gandaki and 15 people in Sudurpaschim Province have also lost their lives in road accidents.

Kathmandu valley alone witnessed the 18 road accident deaths since the enforcement of lockdown.

The driving of any vehicle was strictly prohibited during the lockdown period, yet the accident number did not come much down than before.

The government provided some passes to most essential purposes, however, the misuse of passes and the attempt to skip the police vigilance turned so fatal as to lose nearly two hundred lives in such a short period.

However, the traffic police think the less number of vehicles in the street along with the misuse of govt. provided the pass, tipsy driving and over speed responsible for such deaths.

“Over speed, tipsy driving, violation of traffic rules, and the novices practicing driving lessons in the streets made empty by lockdown are some of the major causes of such accidents,” SSP Bhim Prasad Dhakal, the chief of Metropolitan Traffic Police, Kathmandu said.

He remarked that the traffic and other security forces had been busy in their combat against COVID-19, but now, they would focus back on the street and other duties and things would come normal soon.