A passenger bus carrying pilgrims slipped off a mountain road and rolled down its slopes in central Nepal, killing seven people and leaving nine more injured, police said Sunday. All 14 passengers were Indian pilgrims returning from Manakamana Temple, a popular Hindu temple where devotees believe a goddess will grant them their wish.
Local police chief Suraj Aryal told the Hindustan Times that the dead were two women and five men. District chief Bharat Bahadur BK identified six people in their 50s and one in their 60s. He named them as Muthu Kumar, 58, Anamalik, 58, Meenakshi, 59, Sivagami, 53, Vijayal, 57, Meena, 58, and Tamilarsi, 60.
The two others on board were the Nepali bus driver and his assistant, who were both injured.
The bus crashed on a path leading from the road to the temple near Shahid Lakhan village, about 75 miles west of the capital, Kathmandu.
It was going downhill when it slipped and rolled down the mountainside about 150 metres before landing in a ravine.
Chief District Officer Tulasi Bahadur Shrestha said it was not immediately clear where the passengers were going after the temple.
*** Ensure our latest news headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings. ***
He told The Guardian: “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.”
The injured were pulled out of the bus by police and villagers, who helped take them to local hospitals.
Police said autopsies will be performed on the dead before they are released to family members.
