MALEKHU: Krishna Raj Manandhar, who was trapped inside the bus bearing registration number Ga 2 Kha 1421 after it met with an accident, was rescued alive after five hours.

Manandhar, a resident of Imadol, Lalitpur, was injured in the bus accident that occurred last night at Bhainsegaunda in Charaundi, Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality–5 of Dhading. The rescue team successfully pulled him out alive after five hours.

According to Superintendent of Police (SP) Sumit Khadka of the District Police Office, Manandhar was trapped inside the bus, which had been crushed after plunging down a cliff. He was rescued alive by cutting through parts of the bus and has been sent to Kathmandu for treatment. Khadka said that the rescue was delayed due to a lack of adequate rescue equipment and the difficult location of the accident site.

“Passengers were screaming ‘Please save me.’ We did not have equipment capable of immediately lifting or cutting the bus. We kept consoling him for a long time, then brought a generator-powered machine and cut through the silencer and the rear wheel section of the bus to pull Manandhar out,” SP Khadka said. “He has been referred to Kathmandu for treatment, and his condition appears to be stable.”

The bus belonging to Machhapuchhre Tours and Travels was traveling from Pokhara to Kathmandu when it met with an accident in Dhading. Seventeen people died at the scene, and one more died during treatment. Twenty-six injured passengers are receiving treatment at various hospitals. The bodies of the deceased have been kept at Dhading Hospital and Gajuri Health Center for post-mortem examination.