BAGLUNG: At least 15 people were injured after a bus they were aboard skidded off the road and fell 40 metres below in Kathekhola Rural Municipality-5 in Baglung district in the wee hours of Monday.

The incident occurred after the passenger bus (Na 6 Kha 3060) carrying a total of 30 passengers heading for Burtibang from Kathmandu fell below the road at Jugepani in the district at around 3:00 am today, according to the District Police Office.

As Many as 15 passengers inflicted serious injuries in their head and spinal cord.

Among the five critically injured passengers, four have been discharged from the Dhaulagiri Zonal Hospital where they were admitted following the accident. They are Jit Bahadur Khadka (48) of Bungadobhan, a local resident Jomsara Budha (55), Til Devi Chhantyal (50) of Burtibang and Lila BC (43) of Rithabote in the district, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Anil Kumar Khadka at the DPO.

The preliminary investigation suggested that the incident occurred suddenly after the bus driver fell asleep while he was driving, said police.

Meanwhile, the DPO has detained the four-wheeler driver and carried out further investigation into the case, said DSP Khadka.