One dead, five injured in Makawanpur jeep crash

A jeep carrying six people, including Gokarna Dangi, chief judge of the Janakpur High Court’s Birgunj bench, crashed Tuesday morning in Jurikhet, Makawanpur, Nepal. The vehicle, heading from Kathmandu to Hetauda, struck a road divider and plunged about 50 meters down a slope, killing one passenger and injuring five others.

Laxmi Badu, 49, died while receiving treatment. Dangi and two others, Rita Badu and Ritendra Badu, are being treated in Kathmandu, with Rita reported to be in serious condition. Taradatta Badu, 51, registrar of the Janakpur High Court’s Birgunj bench, and the jeep driver, Chunilal Chaudhary, 32, are receiving care at Hetauda Hospital. Laxmi was Taradatta’s wife, while Ritendra and Rita are their children.

The accident happened near Bhimphedi Bazar, a section of the Hetauda-Bhimphedi-Kulekhani road notorious for fatal crashes. In January 2026, six people died when a jeep fell 100 meters into a ravine at the same location. Over the past four years, this dangerous stretch has claimed the lives of 15 people, with other incidents involving light vehicles and a passenger bus also occurring at the site.