Nepal

Three passengers were killed on the spot when a tree fell directly over a moving bus and a scooter along Sallaghari-Bhaktapur road. At least a dozen injured are receiving treatment in nearby hospitals.

Police said that that the Bus was heading towards Dudhpati of Bhaktapur from Kathmandu and the scooter was heading towards Sallaghari from Dudhpati when the tree suddenly fell and hit them.

The two passengers were on the bus and third person was riding the two-wheeler rider, eye witnesses said.

Those injured have been taken to the nearby Iwamura, Madhyapur, and International hospitals. 

“The number of the injured may go up as rescue efforts are underway,” said an officer at the Bhaktapur Metropolitan Police Range.

Eyewitnesses said the heavy pine tree got suddenly uprooted and fell at around 12:00 pm.

The incident happened near Iwamura hospital where another tree had fallen last night, but without causing any harm.

Meanwhile, lawmakers have drawn the attention of the government to the fatal bus accident.

Speaking during Sunday’s session of the House of Representatives, Bhaktapur MP Prem Suwal urged the government to ensure proper compensation to the victims and better and free medical treatment for the injured.

Another Bhaktapur MP Mahesh Basnet wished for quick recovery of the injured and demanded that the government take steps to ban old vehicles from the streets. (With inputs from RSS)

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