Panchthar, February 16:

The home of Durga Prasad Pokharel of Tharpu VDC-3 was milling with activity till 3 this afternoon. The Pokharels were busy making last-minute preparations for their daughter’s wedding.

But as luck would have it, the bus tragedy, involving the groom’s wedding party, cut short the happy occasion in a jiffy. The groom’s father and sister died on the spot. While, the groom, along with five others, were critically injured. Durga Prasad Pokharel fainted the moment he heard the tragic news. The would-be bride, her relatives and invitees started sobbing inconsolably.

“We didn’t believe the news when we first heard it on the radio,” said Mani Pokharel, a relative of the bride. Kamala Adhikari, the Pokharel’s neighbour, echoed her as a pall of gloom descended on the village. The wedding has been postponed indefinitely.