Georgia: Horrific 15 passenger van crash kills two, injures 13

Two Decatur men were killed and 13 others injured Tuesday night on I-75 just south of the High Falls road southbound on ramp. Their Chevy 3500 van ran off the road, hit a guardrail and overturned.

Click here to read original article in the Herald Gazette, Barnesville, Georgia.

The crash occurred in Monroe County very near the Lamar County line and Lamar emergecy personnel were among those responding in force to the tragic scene.


The full news release from Monroe County S.O. public information officer Allison Selman-Willis follows:

Two men were killed and 13 others injured in a one vehicle crash last night in Monroe County. A Chevy 3500 15 passenger van went off the roadway, hit a guardrail and overturned near mile marker 197 after one of the van's tires failed. At least one passenger was ejected and it is unknown whether seatbelts were in use. The men were traveling from the Atlanta area to work at the Perdue chicken processing plant in Perry. Two men were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The driver and passengers are:

1. (Driver and owner of van) Bhim B. Bista, 29, from Atlanta
2. (Deceased) Tula R. Chamlagai, 44, of Decatur
3. (Deceased) Kharka B. Chhetri, 49, of Decatur
4. Naar B. Magar
5. Rebeka Kalondji
6. Khaga Khatiwada
7. Corneleous Adoung
8. Kammar Gagan
9. Bhuddi Maya Monger
10. Ambe R. Alley
11. Ugen K. Magar
12. Lok B. Alley
13. Devi C. Niroula
14. Birkha Magar
15. Bala Katura

The accident, which occurred around 9 p.m., blocked traffic on I-75 until almost midnight. The driver and 12 passengers were transported to the hospital -- two were Lifeflighted due to the seriousness of their injuries. The bodies of the men killed in the accident were transported to the GBI Crime Lab for autopsy