DADELDHURA: As many as five passengers were injured after a bus they were travelling on fell below the road in Dharmaghar of Sunarya Rural Municipality-3, along the Baitadi-Gokuleshwar road section in Baitadi district in the wee hours of Friday.

The injured have been identified as the bus driver Ram Datta Bhatta (24) of Sunarya-3 in Baitadi; two bus staffers Lokesh Bohara (18) of Gaura in Doti and Bharat Bista of Jogdudha-2 in Dadeldhura; two passengers Hari Singh Karki and Deepak Luhar, both the residents of  Dogdakedar-7 in Baitadi.

The incident occurred when the bus (Ba 3 Kha 5175) en route from Kathmandu to Ganna in Darchula, skidded off the road and plunged about 200 metres onto a ravine at around 3:00 am this morning, according to the Police Constable Harjeet Singh Thagunna at the Baitadi District Police Office.

A team of 15 personnel deployed from the Patan-based Area Police Office rescued the injured after a team of three personnel from the Satabad-based Police Post failed to do so, the Duty Officer Thagunna said.

The injured were rushed to the Patan-based Primary Health Centre in Baitadi from where they were referred to the Dadeldhura-based Sub-Regional Hospital, informed the Dadeldhura DPO.

It has been learned that other passengers had already disembarked from the bus on their destinations when the incident occurred.

Police are yet to ascertain the cause of the accident.

The investigation into the case is underway, informed Police.