Five persons died and as many were injured when a truck with Indian registration number plate hit a stationary bus in Chormara forest area on the East-West Highway, Nawalparasi, on Saturday morning. 

According to the District Traffic Police Office, the speeding truck (UP 58 T 5471) hit the Kathmandu-bound passenger bus (Na 4 Kha 3995) from behind at around 2:30am. The truck driver and four bus passengers were killed in the crash. 

Police have identified three of the deceased as Ram Chaudhary and Birbal Chaudhary of Dang, Hari Ramjali Magar of Surkhet and truck driver Riyaz Khan of the Indian state of Bihar. The bus was en route to Kathmandu from Dang. 

The injured are receiving treatment at the Madhyabindu Community Hospital in Danda, Nawalparasi. 

Police suspect the truck driver dozed off on the wheel, leading to the accident. The truck driver was trapped in the mangled vehicle and died while the effort was on to rescue him, according to police. 

According to Hum Singh Budhathoki, a bus passenger, the incident happened as the bus staff were replacing a deflated tyre. 

One dead, three hurt in bike collision 

DAMAK: A 65-year-old man died while three others were injured when two motorcycles collided at Dharampur along the East-West Highway in Jhapa on Saturday. Bikau Mahato of Shivasatakhi-6 died while his son Sushil, Suren Phago of Ilam and Pradip Aryal of Dhading were injured in the collision, police said. The injured are receiving treatment at B&C Hospital in Birtamod. (PR)