At least 65 people are believed to be missing after a landslide swept two buses into a swollen river on a Nepal highway early Friday morning.
Incident Overview
A landslide swept two buses into the Trishuli River in Chitwan district, about 86 kilometres west of Kathmandu, on the Madan-Ashrit Highway, in Central Nepal. Indradev Yadav, the Chief District Officer of Chitwan, told ANI News that the incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. amidst heavy rain. He reported that a search operation is underway, but the incessant rain is hindering efforts.
Passenger Details
The Kathmandu-bound Angel bus had 24 passengers on board, while 41 passengers were travelling on the Ganpati Deluxe, which was heading to Gaur from the Nepalese capital, reported police spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki.
Among the missing passengers, 7 are Indian nationals, and of these, 6 have been identified as Santosh Thakur, Surendra Sah, Adit Miyaan, Sunil, Shahnawaj Alam, and Ansari.
Three Survivors
Three passengers on the Ganpati Deluxe bus jumped out and escaped. The survivors were taken by residents to a nearby hospital and are currently being treated, Chitwan district official Khimananda Bhusal informed AFP. The total number of missing passengers is not definite, as the buses may have picked up others along the route, according to Bhusal.
Impact of Monsoon Weather
All flights from Kathmandu to Bharatpur have been cancelled for the day due to grim weather, reported ANI News.
Since the start of the monsoon season, at least 90 people have died due to rain-related incidents across Nepal, according to home ministry officials last week.
Due to Nepal’s mountainous terrain, rivers are typically fast-flowing. Heavy rain in the past few days has swollen the waterways and turned the waters murky brown, making it even more difficult to see and assess the damage. By late morning, the rescuers were unable to find any trace of the buses.
In Kaski district, which is 150 kilometres west of Kathmandu, 11 people died as landslides washed away three houses, and 3 people died due to landslides in neighbouring Myagdi district, Karki informed.
Prime Minister’s Response
In a social media post on X, Prime Minister Kamal Dahal expressed sorrow over the incidents and instructed all government agencies to conduct search and rescue operations.
