DAMAULI: As many as 17 persons sustained injuries after the passenger bus they were travelling on fell to its side in Bandipur Rural Municipality-5 along the Prithvi Highway in Tanahun on Sunday.

According to police, the incident occurred when the bus (Ba 14 Kha 5988) en route from Chitwan to Pokhara lost control and skidded off the road at Dhav, injuring 17.

Three critically injured passengers — Sumitra Godhar of Ratnanagar Tadi in Chitwan, Sarita Nepali of Abukhaireni Rural Municipality-1 and Hasta Maya Gurung of Bandipur Rural Municipality-4, both in Tanahun — were sent to Chitwan for further treatment, informed District Police Office, Tanahun.

Other passengers with minor injuries are undergoing treatment at Dumre-based Lakshmi Hospital.

Meanwhile, police have detained the bus driver for further investigation.