Nepalgunj, June 2 

All the victims of Sunday night’s bus accident in Banke tested negative for the coronavirus, the district health authority said.

Twelve persons died and 21 were injured when a bus heading to Salyan, carrying migrant workers returning from India, ploughed into a truck parked on the roadside near Agaiya in Rapti Sonari Rural Municipality at midnight.

While 11 persons died on the spot, one victim had died in the course of treatment.

Given the risk of COVID-19 infection, the health authority in the district had collected swab samples of the deceased and the injured for PCR test. “Yesterday we had collected the swab samples and sent them for test. We’ve got their results. They’re all negative,” said District Health Office Banke Corona Focal Person Naresh Shrestha.

According to Bheri Hospital acting medical superintendent Dr Prakash Bahadur Thapa, preparations are now under way to hand over the bodies to their kin.

Meanwhile, police reckoned that overspeeding and overloading had caused the accident.

“The bus meant for just 20 people apparently had 33 people on board, and on top of that, it was over speeding. That’s how the driver lost control and the accident happened,” said Banke District Police Office SP Bir Bahadur Oli.

The injured, however, said the driver was under the influence of alcohol and therefore the accident occurred.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 03, 2020 of The Himalayan Times.