EV Fire Death and Flood Toll Define Bharatpur's Week

Bharatpur Metropolitan City in Chitwan faced a grim week, with monsoon flood victims still being identified and buried in the aftermath of devastating floods, while a separate tragedy — the death of a driver whose electric vehicle burst into flames on the East-West Highway — raised nationwide alarms about EV safety in Nepal. The twin crises placed local authorities under significant strain and thrust both disaster response and transport regulation into the public spotlight simultaneously.

Authorities Begin Burying Unidentified Flood Victims

In the aftermath of devastating monsoon floods that struck Chitwan district, authorities in Bharatpur Metropolitan City began the harrowing task of burying unidentified bodies as the death toll continued to rise and the pace of new recoveries outpaced the capacity for formal identification. France 24 reporters in Bharatpur documented the process, noting that several days after the initial flooding some bodies had already reached an advanced state of decomposition, forcing officials to proceed with burial before identities could be established. The influx of unidentified dead created significant logistical and humanitarian challenges for local government staff and emergency responders, many of whom had been working around the clock since the floods began. Families of missing persons were urged to come forward with photographs and identifying details that could assist in posthumous identification, while authorities coordinated with provincial and federal disaster agencies on managing the scale of the crisis. Community leaders and religious figures assisted with dignified burial arrangements, while relief organisations called on national and international donors to support both immediate emergency relief and the longer-term recovery needs of communities devastated by flooding across Chitwan and surrounding districts in Bagmati Province. [6]

Driver Dies When Electric Vehicle Catches Fire on Highway

A driver died after his electric vehicle caught fire while in motion on the East-West Highway near Basantachok in Bharatpur Metropolitan City-9, Chitwan, in an incident that shocked the public and drew urgent attention to EV safety across Nepal. The Kathmandu Post identified the deceased as 56-year-old Amar Parajuli, a resident of Bharatpur Metropolitan City-12 who operated a grocery store. Parajuli was driving a GAC Aion brand electric vehicle — imported by CG Motors in Nepal and manufactured by China's Guangzhou Automobile Group — when it burst into flames while moving. Despite warnings from bystanders, the burning vehicle went out of control and struck a road divider before emergency services could reach the scene. The post-mortem was conducted at Bharatpur Hospital. District Police Office spokesperson DSP Chandra Bhushan Yadav confirmed that an investigation in coordination with technical experts was underway to determine the precise cause of the fire. The incident prompted widespread concern about the safety standards of electric vehicles operating on roads across Nepal and whether regulatory frameworks governing EV imports are robust enough to prevent comparable tragedies. [7]

GAC Aion Fire Raises EV Safety Questions Nationwide

The Bharatpur EV fire reignited a national conversation in Nepal about the safety of Chinese-manufactured electric vehicles, particularly following the death of driver Amar Parajuli. Ratopati reported that the GAC Aion model involved in the incident is the same brand that had previously been linked to fire incidents in China, where battery cell swelling, electrolyte leakage and power system malfunctions were among the issues identified in earlier cases. Technical analysts noted that similar fires involving this model while in motion had been reported in the Chinese market, raising questions about whether adequate safety screenings were conducted before the model was cleared for import and sale in Nepal. Experts pointed to a pattern of consumer risk arising from the importation of electric vehicles whose full technical and automation systems are not always thoroughly understood by buyers. Calls grew for the Department of Transport Management and relevant regulatory bodies to establish mandatory pre-import safety certification standards for electric vehicles, to require dealers to provide comprehensive technical briefings to purchasers, and to investigate whether GAC Aion models currently on roads across Nepal should remain in service pending a formal safety review and technical assessment by independent experts. [9]

Sources: [6] France 24 · [7] The Kathmandu Post · [9] Ratopati