Seven persons died and 12 others were injured, some critically, in two separate road accidents in Palpa and Udayapur districts on Thursday night.

A jeep swerved off the road and fell off over a cliff at Purbakhola Rural Municipality-2 in Palpa, killing five persons and injuring four others. The ill-fated vehicle (Lu 1 Ja 2653) was en route to Bahadurpur of Mathagadhi Rural Municipality from Tansen, the district headquarters of Palpa.

Police identified the deceased as—driver Birendra Rana, 20, Kunisara Ruchal, 24, Boma Kumari Darlami, 40, Rewat Bahadur GC, 71, and Yanisara Gaha, 32, of Mathagadhi-8. Kunisara had given birth to a baby boy three days ago. The fatal crash occurred while the jeep was carrying a newly born baby and his mother to her home in Bahadurpur.

According to ward chairman of Purbakhola-2 Nir Bahadur Saru, the new born and another three-year-old boy on the jeep are unhurt.

The injured are receiving treatment at Lumbini Medical College in Tansen.

Police said the rescue of the victims was quite difficult as the incident happened at night and the vehicle fell off the cliff. The incident site is about 57 km away from Tansen. Police said they have been investigating the case.

In another incident, in Udayapur, two persons died and six others sustained injuries when a tractor carrying picnickers met with an accident at Limchungbung Rural Municipality-4 at around midnight.

The Balamta-bound tractor bearing registration number Sa 1 Ta 7323 skidded off the road and fell around 200 metres down. The deceased have been identified as driver Subin Rai, 22, and Pawan Rai, 24, of Limchungbung-4.

The injured were taken to Biratnagar as their treatment was not possible in Udayapur District Hospital, said police.