Three persons died, three others went missing and two more have been injured in an excavator accident in Ward No. 1 of Sanni Triveni Rural Municipality of Kalikot district Saturday night.
The excavator had fallen around 80 metres into the Karnali River from the Karnali Corridor when it was returning after checking whether water had accumulated in the tunnel construction site of Phukot Karnali Hydropower Project. It was carrying a few locals when the accident occurred.
According to police, two individuals – Charitra Sarki, 30, and Yubaraj Budha, 16, – died on the spot while an individual, identified as 22-year-old Milan Shahi, died while receiving treatment at Kalikot District Hospital.
Sarki and Budha were local residents while Shahi was a resident of Ward No. 7 of Raskot Rural Municipality in the district.
Driver Mangal Sodari aka Kamal and two locals – Umesh Giri, 19, and Raktim Sarki, 14, – have gone missing. Police said that they were being searched for.
Two other injured teenagers were Bikash Bharati and Aashish Bharati. They both are 14-year-old and are receiving treatment at the district’s hospital.
Sodari was the sole employee at the hydropower project. Others were locals who often visited the site for recreation.
“The other individuals had reached the area for swimming and to visit the construction site on Saturday,” said Police Inspector Subaraj Bam, current chief of Kalikot District Police.
Officials informed that the tunnel construction work is undergoing in the 480-MW hydropower project.
Source : TRN,
