Oct 09, Kathmandu - Four students and a local resident were killed on Friday morning when a school bus plunged off a cliff in Okhle, Ward No. 28 of Pokhara Metropolitan City, Kaski district. In response to the tragedy, local authorities have formed a five-member investigation panel to determine the cause of the accident.

The bus (registration Ga 2 Kha 1417), belonging to Kalika English Boarding School, was carrying students from Majhthana when it veered off the road at around 6:30 AM.

The Victims

The four deceased students have been identified as:

1. Mamata Tiwari (13)
2. Asim Kandel (13)
3. Rumika Nepali (14)
4. Subhechha Tiwari

The fifth victim was Baburam Tiwari (65), a local resident of Pokhara-28 who had hitched a ride on the bus.

Investigation Committee

Pokhara Metropolitan City has appointed Senior Education Officer Badrinath Subedi to lead a five-member investigation committee. The panel includes:

1. Mechanical Engineer Saroj Chalise
2. City Education Committee Member Dolraj Pandey
3. Municipal Police Inspector Purushottam Thapa
4. Traffic Assistant Inspector Amrit Bhattarai

According to Mayor Dhanraj Acharya, the committee has been mandated to submit its findings within five days, along with recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Rescue Operations and Status of the Injured

A total of 22 individuals—including students, the driver, and the co-driver—were on board at the time of the crash.

A joint rescue operation involving the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force (Kalika Battalion), and the Nepali Army extracted all victims from the site by 8:45 AM. During the operation, Police Constable Arjun Shahi (31) sustained minor injuries and was discharged after receiving treatment.

The remaining 17 injured passengers, including 57-year-old bus driver Tul Bahadur Gurung, are receiving medical treatment across local facilities:

Gandaki Medical College: Three students—Srishti Tiwari (16), Sisan Thapa Magar (16), and Saugat Timilsina (16)—are undergoing treatment.

Western Regional Hospital: Fourteen passengers are being treated, including 15-year-old Asmi Kandel, who remains in critical condition with severe head and spinal injuries. The other hospitalized students include Sneha Khatri (14), Sonia Tiwari (13), Ankit Parajuli (13), Smriti Khatri (15), Sneha Tiwari (16), Aakriti Budhathoki (14), Supriya Acharya, Merina Tiwari (15), and Yaman Magar (16).