The locals set fire to the DAO after the chief district officer (CDO) of Bajhang failed to arrange a helicopter to airlift the injured to some city hospital as demanded by the families of the victims.[break]
CDO Shiva Nepal, along with assistant CDO Mahendrajung Shahi, fled the office after the irate locals burnt down two waiting rooms on the DAO premises. The locals also pelted stones at the DAO.
The main DAO building has also been damaged in the incident. Police had to fire seven rounds in the air to disperse around 300 angry locals who clashed with security personnel until late Monday evening.
Meanwhile, Nepal Army (NA) sent an MI-17 helicopter to rescue the injured late Monday evening after Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai directed Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Chhatraman Singh Gurung to take necessary steps to save the lives of the accident victims. All the 16 injured were taken to the district hospital of Bajhang by Monday evening. "The rescue works took a long time as the accident occurred on a cliff," Jagat Joshi, assistant office chief at the hospital, said.
The locals urged the DAO to arrange a chopper after the district hospital failed to provide emergency treatment service to the injured due to lack of medical doctors, health staff and medicines. The locals went berserk after the death toll reached six due to the delay in airlifting the injured to Nepalgunj or Kathmandu.
Daman Japrel and Amrila Japrel of Sainpasela village, Nimesh Khadka, of Rithapata -6, Megharaj Giri and Gorakh Giri, of Bhairavnath VDC-1, Keshari Devi Rokaya, of Chainpur-6 in Bajhang, were killed when a jeep (Se 1 Cha 351) skidded off the road in Rithapata village. Police say the accident took place as the jeep was overloaded with 35 passengers.
The accident site is a 10-minute walk from the district headquarters.
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