In a tragic accident in the Jaljala area of Rolpa district, 20 people lost their lives after a jeep plunged into a deep ravine on Thursday afternoon. Due to the treacherous terrain, it took security forces nearly 21 hours to recover all the bodies.
According to Police Inspector Sunil Thapa Nepali, the information officer at the District Police Office, the rescue was hampered by extreme geography, poor connectivity and inaccessible roads. Rescue was delayed by weak mobile signals and poor roads after a jeep fell 800 meters into a steep gorge.
While the nearest police unit reached the scene within 20 minutes of the crash, the vertical climb meant that responders had to clear a foot trail and use ropes to manually carry each body up to the road. The operation finally concluded at approximately 12:00 pm on Friday.
The accident resulted in the deaths of 12 women, 4 men, and 4 children. The condition of the driver, Bed Bahadur BK, is unknown. As of Friday afternoon, the identities of the deceased remain unconfirmed because several vehicles had departed together from Rukumkot, making it unclear who was traveling in which jeep.
One passenger, 32-year-old Samir Kami, miraculously escaped death. He was treated at the Rukum East District Hospital and discharged on Thursday night itself.
The recovered bodies have been transported to the district hospital for post-mortem examinations. Authorities stated that the remains will be handed over to the respective families once the identification process is complete.
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