At least 16 people were injured, six of them critically, when a passenger bus met with an accident near Bhanpat, along Supa Khola, in Shitganga Municipality-2 of Arghakhanchi district on Friday. The casualty figures were confirmed by the District Police Office, Arghakhanchi. The bus, bearing registration number Lu 2 Kha 372, was on its way from Arghakhanchi toward Gorusinge when the crash occurred.

The vehicle had earlier carried a group of passengers from Sunwal, in West Nawalparasi, on a visit to the Supadeurali shrine, and was returning from that pilgrimage journey when the accident took place. News of the incident was reported by RatoPati, Global Aawaj and News of Nepal, all citing confirmation from district police.

How the accident unfolded

According to the information released by the District Police Office, Arghakhanchi, the accident occurred at Bhanpat, near Supa Khola, within Shitganga Municipality-2. The location lies on the route that links the hill settlements of Arghakhanchi with Gorusinge, through which the district connects with the Tarai plains to the south. The bus was travelling in that direction, from Arghakhanchi toward Gorusinge, when it crashed on Friday.

Significantly, the accident did not occur on the outward leg of the journey. The bus had already completed the trip up to the pilgrimage destination with its passengers and was on the return stretch when the mishap took place. The key facts established so far are as follows:

  • Location: Bhanpat, near Supa Khola, Shitganga Municipality-2, Arghakhanchi
  • Vehicle: Passenger bus, registration number Lu 2 Kha 372
  • Direction of travel: From Arghakhanchi toward Gorusinge
  • Day of the accident: Friday
  • Casualties: 16 injured, of whom 6 are in critical condition
  • Nature of the trip: Return journey after carrying passengers from Sunwal, West Nawalparasi, to Supadeurali

The injured and the official toll

Police have put the number of injured at 16, with 6 of those victims described as being in a critical state. Because the passengers aboard were part of the group that had travelled together from Sunwal for the Supadeurali visit, the injured are understood, based on the details available, to include members of a single travelling party rather than a mix of unrelated commuters.

It is worth noting that early reports on the severity of the injuries differed between outlets. One of the initial headlines spoke of a smaller number of seriously hurt passengers, but the figures subsequently attributed to the District Police Office, Arghakhanchi, stand at 16 injured and 6 critical. As is common in the hours immediately after a road accident, casualty assessments can shift as the full picture becomes clear, and the police figures represent the most authoritative accounting published so far.

For the families of those aboard, the distinction between the broader injured count and the six critical cases is the detail that matters most. The condition of the critically injured will naturally be the most closely watched development in the period ahead, with any change in their status expected to come through official channels led by the district police.

A pilgrimage journey that ended on the road home

The context of the trip adds a poignant layer to the accident. Supadeurali is among the best-known shrines in Arghakhanchi, and it draws devotees from districts across Lumbini Province and beyond. Organised group journeys by bus, such as the one that set out from Sunwal in West Nawalparasi, are a common way for pilgrims to make the trip, allowing devotees to travel together, often in large numbers, for a shared visit to the site.

A journey of this kind typically takes travellers out of the Tarai lowlands and up into the hills of Arghakhanchi, following roads that wind through demanding terrain. The bus involved in Friday's accident had carried its passengers through that full round trip, and the crash came at the stage of the journey when the group was close to completing its travels, on the stretch heading back toward Gorusinge and the plains.

Hill roads and the questions that remain

Road accidents remain one of Nepal's most persistent safety challenges, and the roads of the hill districts are repeatedly the scene of serious crashes. Routes such as the one through Shitganga Municipality-2 climb and descend steep country between the hill settlements and the Tarai, and the combination of sharp bends, narrow carriageways and long gradients that characterises such roads is frequently cited in connection with accidents of this kind.

In the case of Friday's crash, the exact circumstances have not been laid out in the official information released so far. The District Police Office, Arghakhanchi, has confirmed the location, the vehicle, the direction of travel and the casualty figures, but further detail on how the bus came to crash at Bhanpat is expected to emerge as the authorities complete their account of the incident. Until then, the confirmed facts stand as follows: a bus returning from a pilgrimage to Supadeurali crashed near Supa Khola's Bhanpat on Friday, 16 people were hurt, and six of them remain in critical condition.