Three people, including a five-year-old girl, have died after a passenger motorboat capsized in the Saptakoshi River.
The accident occurred around 2 p.m. on Sunday near Triveni, the confluence of Dhankuta, Udayapur, and Bhojpur districts, while the motorboat was traveling from Kopche in Bhojpur toward Barahachhetra in Sunsari.
According to the District Police Office, Sunsari, the deceased include a five-year-old girl, a 35-year-old woman, and a 40-year-old man. Their identities have not yet been established.
Police said that the bodies of all three victims have been kept at Chatara Hospital.
The motorboat's operator, Suman Magar, managed to swim to safety. Police have taken him into custody.
According to police, although tickets appear to have been issued for 11 people, 16 people were reportedly aboard the boat.
According to the operator's statement to police, 11 passengers and the remaining occupants, who were his relatives, were on board.
Although the accident site falls within Dhankuta district, a police team was deployed from Barahachhetra in Sunsari because difficult terrain was expected to delay the arrival of rescue teams from Dhankuta.
Teams from both Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force were involved in the rescue operation.
Police are investigating the cause of the accident.
