KATHMANDU: At least eight people, including three children, died on Monday after the car they were travelling in veered off the road in Nepal's Pyuthan district, police said.
The seven victims identified so far — three women, one man and three children – were pilgrims who were returning from the famous hilltop Swargadwari Temple in the district.
According to the police, the car they were travelling in veered off the road near Bhingri.
The passengers were trapped inside the vehicle and authorities used an excavator to fish them out, police said.
Pramila Khanal, the acting medical superintendent at the Pyuthan District Hospital, said all the eight victims who were brought to the hospital were declared dead on arrival.
Police have identified the driver as Tara Bahadur Kumal, 49, of Lamahi Municipality-5, Sarita Sharma Pokhrel, 35, and her two sons aged nine and 14, of Tulsipur Sub-Metropolitan City in Dang, according to The Kathmandu Post newspaper.
Similarly, they have also established the identities of the other three victims as Govinda Shah, 40, his wife Radha Shah, 30, and their nine-year-old son, all residents of Lamahi Municipality-7, the report said.
Police added that the process to identify the eighth victim, a minor was currently underway.
Road accidents are common in Nepal and it occurs due to poorly maintained roads.