The Bhutanese Leading the way.
At 7:30pm Thursday night, a white Bolero pickup slid off the icy road some 10kms from Tsimasham. Dil Bahadur Biswa was driving supplies from Phuntsholing to his shop in Trongsa when he had to brake after encountering a truck headed the other way. Without any traction the pickup slid off the road and fell some 50 meters below the road before it was stopped by a tree.
Fortunately Dil Bahadur, the only one in the vehicle, escaped with a minor hit on the chest, a reddened right eye and a much shaken constitution. Commuters helped pull him up and an ambulance on the way from Samtse took him to JDWNRH. Examinations declared him unharmed and he was at the spot early yesterday.
Following the freezing conditions midweek, RBP had earlier cautioned travelers to be extra careful on the roads along the Chapcha -Zhimla area. While the road was salted and passable this morning, late evenings and early mornings will see temperatures to fall as low as -9 degree C in Thimphu and -7 C in Chukkha.
Weather forecasts say there is another cold week ahead and conditions aren’t expected to improve anytime soon.
Fortunately for Dil, he had subscribed to a comprehensive insurance policy for his pickup and a separate policy for recovery and towing, RICB’s Tsimasham Branch representative confirmed on scene. Dil is salvaging what he can of his goods but his pickups will remain on the mountainside awaiting better conditions for the tow truck.
The police are working to improve road conditions and reiterated its advice for extra careful driving.
