Kathmandu, April 5

Three persons, including a toddler, were killed and one injured in separate road accidents in Kathmandu valley today, stated Metropolitan Traffic Police Division.

Indra Bahadur Sunuwar, 40, of Dolakha district and Dolma Sherpa, 40, of Dhanusha district died after a truck hit the pick-up van they were travelling in at Dhobighat, Lalitpur, at around 11:30am. The truck belonging to Bhaktapur-based Janak Education Materials Centre Ltd was heading to Ekantkuna from Balkhu. Sunuwar was the driver of the van.

MTPD stated that Sunuwar and Lama were critically  injured in the incident and breathed their  last while undergoing treatment at Jawalakhel-based Alka Hospital.

Smriti Magar, a passenger of the van who sustained injuries, was admitted to Mediciti Hospital. She hails from Bhainsepati, Lalitpur.

The truck driver has been arrested.

The eight-lane Kalanki-Koteshwor road is accident prone due to lack of road dividers, sidewalk fence and other road safety measures. The Department of Roads, in association with MTPD, had recently started safety audit of the 10.5 km stretch of the road as accidents surged along the newly-widened segment of the Ring Road.

In a separate accident, Kaushal Neupane, a two-year-old son of Bharat Neupane of Makwanpur districts, died after being hit by a mini truck in Thaiba of Godavari Municipality-4, Lalitpur. The truck driver is in police custody.

According to MTPD, 14 people were killed and over 500 injured along the stretch in the past seven months. The Valley Traffic Management and Pollution Control Improvement Action Plan launched by Nepal Police yesterday states that the authorities concerned will put up fence to enhance traffic safety at several places, including the Kalanki-Koteshwor segment.