Overview
- A privately hired jeep carrying locals to the Baisakh Purnima festival left a muddy mountain road Thursday in Rolpa and plunged into a deep gorge, killing at least 17, police said.
- Rescue teams and local residents are working at the site as heavy rain and steep, remote terrain slow access to the gorge.
- Outlets citing local officials report the toll could be about 20, and police say they are still confirming how many people were on board.
- The crash occurred in the Jaljala area of Thawang Rural Municipality, with reports putting the drop at roughly 700 to nearly 800 meters.
- Police say the jeep likely slipped on a rain-slick, narrow track, a known risk on Nepal’s rural ridge roads during festival travel.