MAHENDRANAGAR, DHANUSHA: At least six persons were killed after the jeep they were travelling on fell below the road along the East-West Highway in Ganeshman Charnath Municipality-8 of Dhanusha district today.

The deceased have been identified as Naya Raj Jibi (29) of Dharmadevi -9 in Sankhuwasabha district; Sharada Regmi Dahal (35) of Biratnagar Metropolitan City-4; Gyan Bahadur Chauhan (27) of Nirmalidanda, Khotang; Prahlad Neupane (33) of Morang; Khem Kumar Rana Magar of Letang Municipality-8, Morang; and Pranita Rai of Miklajung Rural Municiaplity-4 in Panchthar.

The Tata Sumo jeep (Ba 9 Cha 3314) heading to Jhapa from Kathmandu ran out of control and plunged into a pond, in Portaha near the Kamala River, at 2:30 am today, according to the District Police Office, Dhanusha.

As many as five of the injured have been rescued, Police Inspector Madhav Raj Kafle informed. The injured have been undergoing treatment at the Birendra Bazaar-based Dukhani Devi Hospital in Ganeshman Charnath Municipality.

Meanwhile, the four-wheeler driver Sudeep Prasad Pokharel of Kamala Rural Municipality-5 in Jhapa has been taken into police custody for the investigation, police informed.

The preliminary investigation points out high speed as the cause of the accident, said police.

(With inputs from Rastriya Samachar Samiti)