Bhubaneswar: Two persons from Odisha died in a road accident in Nepal, when the bus they were travelling in, was rear-ended by a truck on East-west Highway of Rautahat district of Nepal, last night.

The deceased have been identified as Bijay Kumar Jena and Charan Biswal of Delanga, Puri. Two others from Odisha, Sheshadev Jena (53) and Sarbeshwar Jena (55) have been critically injured in the accident and are undergoing treatment at Neuro Hospital in Birgunj.

According to reports, the bus (Na 6 Kha 9030) carrying 20 pilgrims was en route to Kathmandu from Janakpur and had stopped in Mangalpur for the pilgrims to freshen up, when a truck rear-ended it.

The impact pushed the bus 20 metres into the nearby Paurai forest killing two on the spot and injuring 21 others. The wounded were rescued and rushed to Chandranigaharpur hospital.

The driver of the truck fled the spot after the accident and a search is underway to nab him. Local police has informed about the mishap to the Indian Consulate in Birgunj.