TANAHUN: As many as 37 persons sustained injuries after a bus fell off the road at Kamalbari in Byas Municipality along the Damauli-Dumre road section in Prithvi Highway on Sunday.

Five of the injured are in critical condition and have been taken to Manipal Teaching Hospital in Pokhara, officials informed.

According to police, the overcrowded bus (Ga 1 Kha 5847) en route to Narayangadh from Bhimad fell 25 metres down the road due to driver’s negligence.

The bus driver fled the scene after the incident prompting a manhunt, said Police Inspector Suraj Karki.

Meanwhile, 24 of the injured are undergoing treatment at medical facility based in Ratnahari and Byas while 13 are being treated at Damauli Hospital.