Update: Bajura accident caused by overloaded jeep on newly opened rough road

The recent fatal accident in Bajura’s Himali Rural Municipality has been linked to an overloaded vehicle traveling on a poorly developed road that had only recently opened for traffic.

On Thursday morning, a Bolero pickup jeep (Ba. Pa. 03–001 Ja 0338), meant to carry just 5 passengers, was carrying 21 people when it lost control and crashed while traveling from Kyudi village to Dhulachaur. The accident killed three people and injured 18 others.

Police say the overloaded vehicle fell from an upper bend to a lower part of the road in Kyudi, a remote village where road construction is still incomplete. The track was only opened in Mangsir (around November), and regular vehicles rarely operate on the rough, unpaved surface.

According to Inspector Dev Bahadur Chaudhary of District Police Office Bajura, the crash was likely caused by excessive load and poor road conditions. The road had been marked unsafe, and locals were advised not to run vehicles regularly, said Chief Administrative Officer Raj Bahadur Bhandari of the rural municipality.

Despite this, 21 local passengers boarded the five-seat Bolero to travel to Dhulachaur, the municipal center, paying NPR 700 per person. Most were heading to the bank to collect social security allowances and handle official work.

Of the 18 injured, 7 seriously hurt passengers—including the 23-year-old driver—were flown by Nepal Army helicopter to Surkhet for treatment. Ten others are being treated at Kolti Hospital, while one is receiving care in Kuwadi.

The deceased have been identified as 76-year-old Bijaura Rokaya, 75-year-old Banchkala Rokaya, and 35-year-old Juneli Rokaya.