The death toll in a tragic jeep crash in Thawang Rural Municipality of western Rolpa district has risen to 20, as confirmed by the District Administration Office, Rolpa. The incident occurred when a jeep carrying 22 passengers veered off the road, plummeting 700 meters and resulting in the immediate deaths of most occupants.
Ganga Bahadur Kshetry, Chief District Officer of Rolpa, stated that 20 individuals have been pronounced dead, while two others are currently receiving medical treatment at a local hospital. The fatal accident took place on a rainy Thursday evening, with the jeep sliding off the muddy road in the area. The exact cause of the tragedy remains unknown, as per Kshetry’s remarks.
According to local authorities, the ill-fated private jeep had been chartered by residents heading to the Baisakh Purnima festival in the Jaljala region of the district. Nepal has observed a surge in road accidents in recent years, coinciding with a rise in the number of vehicles traversing the roads. Over a decade ago, Nepal Traffic Police documented 4,999 road accidents.
In the fiscal year 2024–25, the country registered 7,669 road accidents and 190 fatalities, based on official statistics. Among these incidents, 278 were categorized as severe. Beyond the human cost, road safety issues also carry significant economic repercussions. A study by the World Bank in Nepal highlighted that the economic burden of road traffic injuries has tripled since 2007, constituting 1.5% of the nation’s gross national product.
Road accidents disproportionately affect marginalized groups, with more than 70% of road fatality victims in Nepal being vulnerable road users like pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists, according to the World Bank’s findings.
