ROLPA: At least 17 people have been killed after a Bolero jeep veered off a road and fell about 800 meters down a cliff in Jaljala, Thawang Rural Municipality 1, in Rolpa District on Thursday afternoon, police said.

The vehicle was traveling from Rukum Purba toward Jaljala when the accident occurred. The District Police Office, Rolpa, confirmed the death toll at 17, with rescue operations still underway at the site.

According to Police Inspector Sunil Thapa, information officer of District police office, Rolpa, the jeep was carrying passengers heading to attend a local fair being held in Jaljala on the occasion of Baisakh Purnima.

Officials said further details, including the cause of the accident and identification of victims, are yet to be confirmed as search and recovery efforts continue.