Bara, January 19:

Three of the seven passengers, who were killed in the bus inferno on the Nijgarh-Pathlaiya section of the Mahendra Highway in Bara yesterday, have been identified.

The three are Kumali Devi Shah of Lalbandi-1 of Sarlahi district, Mukunda Khanal of Gaushala of Mahottari district and Bhakti Bilas Lamichhane of Hatpatte of Sindhuli district, Bara district superintendent of police Hemanta Pal said, adding that their relatives claimed the bodies.

According to Pal, a preliminary investigation has shown that the fire erupted as there was some highly inflammable substance in the bus.

Meanwhile, CPN-UML, Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, Nepal Workers’ and Peasants’ Party and the Bara chapter of the All Nepal National Free Students’ Union have condemned the incident and demanded compensation for the victims’ families and free treatment for the injured. A report from Birgunj said a police team visited the site and interviewed the injured and eyewitnesses. The team said it had concluded there was no bomb in the bus.

APF DIG Shailendra Shrestha said the incident occurred as there was some highly inflammable substance in the bus. DIG Shrestha quoted a passenger as saying that smell of petrol was pervading the bus when he boarded it at Chandranigahpur. There was a blast before the fire engulfed the bus, Shrestha quoted the passenger.

Police said it had found traces of petrol and diesel residue in the bus.

According to the bus conductor, two persons got off the bus at Tamagadhi, while four women got off it near Pasaha. Bus driver Saane Chhetri told journalists that there was no suspicious thing in the bus that could have caused the fire. He said there was no diesel except in the tank of the bus.

OHCHR flays the incident:

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Nepal has condemned yesterday’s bus bombing in Bara district that killed at least seven people and injured dozens.

It has also urged the government and the security officials to take “swift action” to bring to justice members of the Tarai Army, which has claimed responsibility for the bombing. Yesterday’s bombing occurred one year after the start of the Madheshi Andolan, which ended in the deaths of at least 24 people, and on the eve of a series of planned rallies and demonstrations in the Tarai relating to the upcoming Constituent Assembly elections.

In a statement issued today, the OHCHR-Nepal has also called on all concerned to “exercise restraint and take the necessary steps” to ensure that violence will not recur at this critical time. “Law enforcement officials must balance respecting the right to freedom of assembly with their duty to protect the population,” it said.

The OHCHR said leaders of protesting groups also have a responsibility to ensure that demonstrations are peaceful and that their supporters carry no weapons. It has also called on all actors to respect the rights of journalists and rights defenders to carry out their activities without threat of violence.

OHCHR-Nepal Representative Richard Bennett said:

“The Madheshi Andolan was a critical event that regrettably ended in the killings of at

least 24 people and injuries to many more. Such violence must not be repeated. The government has pledged to ensure participation of marginalised groups in the elections and in the general state machinery. I urge all these actors to come together in a spirit of co-operation to ensure human rights are respected and to move the peace process forward.”

Survivors don’t know how it happened:

Kathmandu: The survivors of Friday’s bus inferno do not know how it all happened.

Prem Kumari Lungeli, who has been undergoing treatment at the Bir hospital, said the incident occurred so suddenly that she does not remember anything.

“A pungent smell and smoke emanated from under the seat. After that, the bus was gutted,” said Lungeli, who was brought to the hospital this afternoon.

Altogether 11 persons injured in the explosion have been undergoing treatment in the Bir Hospital. Since all nine seats in the Burn Unit of the hospital are occupied, the survivors have been kept at the Plastic Surgery Unit and other wards. Dr Babu Ram Pokharel, chief of the

Burn Unit, said the cases are very serious. “It takes three months to cure the physical injuries, but complete recovery depends on how one overcomes psychological trauma.”

Twenty-year-old Indra Lama, whose swollen face and lips are coated with ointments, only remembers a sudden blast that threw them up and landed them near the door. Lama’s palms, feet and neck were covered with bandages. Next to her, 32-year-old Renu Moktan was groaning in pain. Moktan’s body is covered with bandages. Doctors said 90 per cent of her body is burnt. — HNS