The angle of the kukri blade doesn't set up two edges to cut at once; drawn and cutting properly it ensures that the edge is dragged along the target as it passes through. A knife cuts as the blade is drawn across or along the item to be cut; with the kukri, it's nearly impossible to swing it halfway properly and not be a cutting motion. (You can actually stand on razor blades, so long as the pressure is straight down and there is no sliding along the edge.) The weighting of the kukri adds tremendous power to this cutting motion.
The precise angle of the bend in the blade depends on the swordsmith and local preference; some are nearly right angles, while others are more like 30 or so degrees.
Lots of good information and examples can be found at
Khukuri House.
This incident is a tragedy. It seems to be a combination of desperation and what I can only label a cultural insanity.