KHOTANG: One person died and 14 others were injured when a microbus carrying pilgrims from Halesi Temple to Siraha skidded off the road at Kaduwa along the Jayaram–Halesi section of the Mid-Hill Highway on Sunday morning.
The vehicle (Pradesh 2-0-1-001) plunged around 200 metres near the Daunde Stream at about 9:00 am, according to the District Police Office, Khotang. Bushes in the area stopped it from falling further, said DSP Prateek Bista.
Six of the injured pilgrims have been referred to the National Trauma Centre in Kathmandu, while eight are being treated at Janasewa Polyclinic in Ghurmi, Halesi Tuwachung Municipality spokesperson Kamal Giri said. The identities of the victims are yet to be confirmed.
There were 16 passengers on board at the time of the accident. The microbus was returning from the Bolbam festival at Halesi, a revered religious site for Hindu, Buddhist, and Kirat communities, celebrated throughout the month of Saun.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.
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