Residents of Khotro in Manang district have blocked the movement of vehicles associated with the under-construction Chinokhola Hydropower Project following a truck accident on Saturday morning.

The accident occurred at around 9:15 a.m. in Khotro, Ward No. 3 of Naso Rural Municipality, when a truck carrying pipes for the hydropower project veered off the road while climbing an uphill section and plunged nearly 50 meters down to the bank of the Marsyangdi River.

The truck, bearing registration number Lu 2 Kha 188, was travelling from Rasuwa to Manang with construction materials for the project.

According to Manang Police, the crash injured the driver, 32-year-old Ganga Lamgati of Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality-3 in Sindhupalchok district, and a passenger, 68-year-old Surya Bahadur Gurung of Naso Rural Municipality-1.

Police and local residents rescued the injured men and transported them by ambulance to the Provincial Hospital in Besisahar, Lamjung, for further treatment, the District Police Office, Manang, said.

Following the accident, local residents staged a protest, arguing that repeated accidents have occurred because the road remains too narrow and unsafe despite long-standing concerns.

Ward Chairman Nilram Gurung said locals had stopped at least five vehicles linked to the hydropower project. According to police, around 20 to 25 residents gathered at the site and insisted that project-related freight vehicles would not be allowed to operate until the road is widened and safety measures are improved.

Police Inspector Sumit Kushwaha of the District Police Office, Manang, confirmed that several cargo vehicles associated with the project had been halted due to the protest. He said discussions were underway between local residents and project representatives to resolve the dispute.

The accident site is particularly sensitive for local residents because a truck crash at the same location six years ago claimed six lives. Since then, residents have repeatedly demanded that the road section be widened and made safer, but they say the concerned authorities have failed to address the issue.

The latest accident has renewed calls for urgent improvements to the Besisahar–Chame road, a vital transportation route in the mountainous district that is frequently used by local residents, tourists, and construction vehicles serving major infrastructure projects.