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Police ascertain identities of 3 killed in bus inferno, arrest 2 on suspicion

Among the seven persons who were burnt to death when a passenger bus suddenly caught fire near Pathlaiya along the East-west highway in Bara district Friday, the identities of only three have been ascertained so far.

According to police, the three among the seven dead, Kumari Devi, 45, of Lalbandi, Sarlahi; Bhakti Bilas Lamichane, 21, of Hatpate, Sindhuli district and Bal Mukunda Khanal, 60, vice principal at the Takhuram Multiple Campus in Birgunj have been identified so far. As the bodies were salvaged from outside near the window, it is assumed that they might have died of burns while trying to escape. Police said they were unable to confirm the identities of the other 4 as their bodies were burnt beyond recognition.

Parsa's Chief District Officer Dipak Kumar Joshi said that of the 22 persons injured in the inferno, 13 people have been flown to Kathmandu on an army helicopter for further treatment. Among them, the condition of five, Jyotiyadevi, Dil Bahadur, Renu Moktan, Kausalyakumari Sah and Bipin Lama, is said to be critical. Similarly, 5 persons have returned home after getting minor treatment and the remaining 4 are undergoing treatment at the Narayani Sub-regional Hospital in Birgunj.

Meanwhile, police arrested two people on the suspicion of being involved in the incident Saturday morning.

Those who have been arrested are Thakur Dhami and Ram Naresh Paswan. It has not been known yet which group were they associated with or motive behind their attack on the passenger bus. Police also confiscated explosive materials and other weapons from them.

The Terai Army, a little known armed outfit active in the southern plains, has owned up the responsibility for the incident. Speaking to local radio in Birgunj, 'Mr John' of the aforesaid group said that "nitrous gas" was used to trigger the fire in bus for defying the three-day strike called by it.

The police have, however, dismissed the Terai Army claim as baseless, saying that initial investigation showed that the inferno was caused by "a sudden ignition of highly inflammable material inside the bus."

The fire engulfed the bus when it was crossing a bridge over Pasaha River at around 5:15 p.m. The bus was heading to Birgunj from Janakpur.

According to reports, there was no door to the rear of the bus. Most of those who died were sitting at the rear. Similarly, the passengers couldn't break the window glass as it was made of plastic and couldn't even open it because they were closed tight. nepalnews.com ag Jan 20 08