Janakpurdham, January 26

Police and Sabaila Municipality have blamed the bus driver and Nepal Electricity Authority respectively for the tragic accident in which six people were killed and 10 injured in Dhanusha’s  Sabaila yesterday evening when a bus accidentally touched a high voltage live electric wire.

The bus carrying a marriage party from Sindhuli’s  Dudhauli Municipality-9, Jitpur accidentally touched a live electric wire while returning at Sabaila-4, Baltiya. Police have blamed the bus driver for the accident. “As the bus driver was not careful, the same caused the accident,” said inspector Madhu Nepal of Province 2 Police Office, Janakpur.

Sabaila Municipality, on the other hand, has blamed the accident on Nepal Electricity Authority. “As there are better roads even in rural areas now, even large vehicles are plying; the accident happened as the NEA hasn’t done its bit to manage low hanging electric wires at a number of places,” said Mayor Bijaya Shankar Sah.

“As the bus was taller compared to other buses, the low-hung high voltage wire happened to touch a metal box on the roof, which then allowed electric current to run through the bus. The main blame for this accident goes to Nepal Electricity Authority, which did not manage the wire even at our frequent calls,” said the mayor, also berating the bus driver for failing to notice the hazard that lay ahead. “The bus driver must have calculated whether his bus that had a metal box on the roof would pass under the wire,” he said.

According to the locals, Rambabu Adhikari of Jitpur, who was on the roof of the bus died on the spot from electric shock.  Besides, Rambabu, Lila Adhikari, Puja Adhikari, Reshamdev Kunwar, Akrosh Kunwar and Keshamdevi Kunsar also died in the accident.

“As claimed by the municipality, the electric wire is low-hung at the point where the incident took place,” said NEA Sakhuwa branch chief Raj Kumar Raman. “Before that bus, many other buses of similar size had safely passed under the wire. The wire was touched as the bus had a large metal box on the roof. The bus driver should have been careful,” he said. According to Inspector Nepal, all the injured have returned home following treatment. Further, he also informed that the bodies had been handed over to the kin following post-mortem.

Police further said search for the bus driver was on. Following the incident, a pall of gloom has fallen over Dudhauli’s Jitpur and Sabaila’s Baltiya village.