Itahari, May 12:

Four persons were killed and 33 injured when a minibus overturned at Haripur in Sunsari along the East-West Mahendra Highway this morning.

The bus belonging to Hong Kong Travels was headed for Gaighat from Dharan when it met with the accident near Panchamukhi Hanuman Temple at the Koshi Barrage, Haripur-9.

The accident occurred when the driver tried to save a cyclist headed in the same direction, an eyewitnesses said. The cyclist, however, died in the accident.

The deceased include bus owners Nukhal Ansari, 25, and Mehboob Ansari of Dharan-3.

One Raprik Alam, 18, of Dharan was also killed. The deceased cyclist could not be identified.

As many as 29 of the injured were taken to BPKIHS in Dharan for treatment, of which 18 have been discharged.

The local residents said the bus met with the accident on the very first day of its operation.

The driver of the bus has been absconding, police said.

On Tuesday, 13 schoolchildren were killed and 12 injured when a tempo carrying the children plunged into a canal at Jhumka in Sunsari.