A child, who had gone missing following a bus accident in Dhading on October 28 last year, was found dead on Thursday.

Police recovered the body of four-year child of Saptari from below the tyre of the bus while they were pulling the vehicle from Trishuli River, three months after the incident.

According to police Inspector Sanjay Timilsina, the identities of 33 persons who lost their lives in the accident have already been ascertained and surmised that the child could be among the missing persons.

The kith and kin of the deceased have not received the life insurance amount yet as per the law because of the bus owner’s failure to renew the insurance policy.

The family members of the deceased and 16 persons, who were injured in the incident, had filed a complaint at the local administration arguing that they have not received life insurance amount under the third party insurance scheme and treatment expenses.

Based on the complaint, the local administration rounded up Sabina Mukhiya Kayastha, 33, of KMC-14, operator of Birgunj-based Omani Pvt. Ltd, for not bearing the life insurance amount and treatment expenses and sent her to the district jail for investigation.

Vehicle driver Santosh Chaudhary, who fled the scene after the incident, was arrested from the Indian border on November 15.

The incident occurred when the ill-fated bus (Na 6 Kha 1476) heading towards Kathmandu from Saptari swerved off the road and plunged into Trishuli River in Gajuri-5 along the Prithvi Highway.

Following the incident, the passengers who had survived the ordeal said that the incident occurred due to over-speed and negligence of the driver.