BIKI THAPA MAGAR, 22

Dhading bus crash survivor

My 83-year-old grandfather (Padam Bahadur Thapa Magar) and I got on the bus from Dhadingbesi. We had the seats behind the driver. The accident occurred 10 minutes or so after the bus left the place where we had stopped for lunch. I can remember the bus tipping over as it was traversing a narrow road.

Soon, the passengers were screaming and praying for god to help as the bus rolled down the slope. I felt the bus roll twice. This is it, I thought, the end of my life. People were  screaming in the background. Next, there was a loud explosion. I suddenly felt the breeze and the ground beneath me. The bus had been torn

apart. Its bits and pieces were still rolling down the slope. I blacked out after that. When I awoke, I saw bodies scattered everywhere. Blood smeared seats, uprooted from the bus. Then, there were faint moans and whimpers from the passengers who were alive. I looked at them, faces covered in blood and mud, barely recognisable.

I searched for my grandfather. He had already died when I found him. I also saw the body of our driver.   

Police and some local people arrived after a short while to rescue us.

I don’t think,  the accident was a result of reckless driving. It was due to poor road condition. The area had been hit by a landslide and the road was never repaired. The  locals had removed the landslide debris for the vehicles to pass, but it was not fixed.

(As told to Anup Ojha)