CHITWAN: At least four persons died and 17 others sustained injuries when a passenger bus collided head-on with a truck in Ratnanagar Municipality-10 of Chitwan district on Tuesday night.

The deceased have been identified as truck driver Mohan Ghising (34) and his assistant Buddhi Lama (30), both the residents of Chandrapur Municipality-2 in Rautahat district. Two others deceased are the passengers of the bus — Bishnu Prasad Thapa (48) of Thankot, Kathmandu and a woman identified as Tara Baral (42) of Phuling Municipality-1 in Taplejung district.

According to Chitwan District Police Office (DPO), a bus of Makalu Yatayat (Na 6 Kha 1741) heading towards Kakarbhitta from Kathmandu collided with a truck (Na 5 Kha 5941) along the East-West Highway, at Bhanuchok, at around 11:00 pm yesterday.

Of the total 21 persons injured in the incident, the truck driver assistant succumbed to injuries during the course of treatment at College of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital (old medical college) where 13 others are also receiving treatment, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police at the DPO, Prabhu Prasad Dhakal. He said, three others died at Bharatpur-based Chitwan Medical College where four others are also receiving treatment.

Police have pointed out the high-speed driving as the cause of the accident.