At least 65 people, including seven Indian nationals, are believed to be missing after two buses were swept away by a landslide in Nepal and pushed into a swollen river today, according to media reports.
The two buses carrying 65 passengers went missing in the Trishuli River in the landslides at Simaltal area along the Narayanghat-Mugling road in Chitwan district, reported myRepublica news portal, quoting officials.
Chief District Officer of Chitwan, Indradev Yadav, confirmed the incident. According to Yadav, the Kathmandu-bound Angel Deluxe bus and the Gaur-bound Ganpati Deluxe bus, coming from Kathmandu, met with the accident around 3.30am today — 24 people were onboard the bus travelling to Kathmandu; and 41 on the bus travelling to Gaur, police said.
Three of the passengers on the Ganpati Deluxe bus managed to escape after jumping out of the vehicle, The Kathmandu Post reported.
Details have been received of 21 passengers travelling from Birgunj to Kathmandu on the Angel Deluxe bus. According to the latest information, police have said that there were seven Indian nationals among the passengers on this bus, myRepublica reported.
Yadav said that the rescue workers had started clearing the landslide debris.
Expressing grief over the disappearance of the bus in the Trishuli River, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ issued directives for immediate search and rescue operations.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of nearly five dozen passengers and the loss of property due to floods and landslides in different parts of the country when a bus was washed away by a landslide on the Narayangadh-Muglin road section. I direct all agencies of the government, including the home administration, to search and effectively rescue the passengers,” Prachanda posted on X.
Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel were heading towards the incident sites for rescue operations, said Superintendent of Police Bhawesh Rimal.
Debris from landslides at various places obstructed traffic on the Narayanghat-Mugling road section.
In a separate incident, at least 11 people died in landslides and floods triggered by incessant rain in the Kaski district yesterday.
More than 1,800 people have lost their lives in a decade due to monsoon disasters. During this period, about 400 people went missing and more than 1,500 people were injured in these disasters.
