Bihar bus driver dies in Nepal

A bus driver sent by Bihar government for relief and rescue operations in earthquake-ravaged Nepal died on Sunday, triggering protests by his colleagues, officials said.

Sambhu Kumar, a resident of Chenwa village in Gopalganj district, was one of the nearly 100 bus drivers,who were engaged by the state government in relief and rescue operations in the neighbouring country died in Raxaul of East Champaran district, a district official said.

According to officials, Sambhu's bus was sent to Nepal few days ago to bring victims to relief camps in Raxaul.

A group of bus drivers engaged in rescue and relief operations alleged that Sambhu died due to hunger as he was not provided food on time despite hard work for days. But officials denied it.

Angry over death of Sambhu, other bus drivers blocked roads in Raxaul in protest and demanded compensation for him, and also accused the administration of neglecting them.

The district administration has announced a compensation of Rs.2 lakh to the deceased's family from the chief minister's relief fund.

State Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary on Sunday told media in Raxaul that 100 buses were sent to Nepal, mostly Kathmandu. "Till date 70 buses have returned with quake victims from Nepal to Raxaul, five buses were on way.. 15 others are still in Kathmandu, five in Pokhra and five others in other places," he said.