Kathmandu, Dec 10 (PTI) Eight people were killed and five others injured when their vehicle veered off the road in a forest and hit a tree in Nepal's Rautahat district, police said on Tuesday.

The vehicle, a Scorpio, was carrying pilgrims home after visiting Gadhimai Mela in Bara district when the accident occurred around midnight on the East-West Highway, police said.

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According to police, the incident occurred when the driver lost control and collided with a tree in the Dhansar-Lamaha road section.

Eight people, including the driver, were killed in the accident, they said.

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The injured are undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

The once-in-five-year Gadhimai Mela was inaugurated by Vice President Ram Sahaya Yadav last week.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)