Tanahun, May 2:

Traffic on Prithvi Highway that had been obstructed since last night resumed at 6:30 am today.

Traffic was disrupted on the highway following the death of a local resident when a vehicle hit him at Khanikhola of Anbukhaireni VDC-3. Sixty-four-year-old Ratna Bahadur Thapa died on the spot when a vehicle, whose registration number is not known, hit him at around 9:00 pm yesterday. The highway was re-opened after the district administration office provided Rs 155,000 immediate relief to the family of the victim, said CDO Kashi Nath Marasini.

Relatives of the victim had blocked the highway throughout the night, demanding punishment for the the driver of the vehicle and reasonable compensation to the family of the victim. Passengers said they were forced to pass the night on the road due to the chakkajam.

Acting DSP Gautam Mishra said the nature of the accident showed that a vehicle heading from Kathmandu to Pokhara knocked Thapa down. He said police have intensified efforts to identify the vehicle and nab the driver.