Nepal: At least 65 people are believed missing after a massive landslide swept away two passenger buses into a swollen river in Central Nepal on Friday morning. Among the missing are seven Indian nationals.
The incident occurred at the Simaltal area along the Narayanghat-Mugling road in Chitwan district, where the buses disappeared into the Trishuli River amid the landslides.
Indradev Yadav, Chief District Officer of Chitwan, confirmed that rescue efforts have commenced to clear the landslide debris, with further details of the accident still awaited.
According to officials, the buses involved were the Kathmandu-bound Angel bus and the Ganpati Deluxe bus travelling from Kathmandu to Rautahat’s Gaur. As per the preliminary reports, there were 24 passengers on the Kathmandu-bound bus and 41 passengers on the other bus, news agency ANI reported.
Details have emerged about the 21 passengers travelling from Birgunj to Kathmandu on the Ganpati Deluxe bus. According to police, seven of the passengers were Indian nationals. Three passengers from the same bus managed to escape after jumping out of the vehicle.
The missing Indian nationals are identified as Santosh Thakur, Surendra Sah, Adit Miyaan, Sunil, Shahnawaj Alam, and Ansari. Another person has not been identified.
Government administrator Khima Nanada Bhusal told AP that the route leading to the accident area was also blocked in several places by landslides.
Superintendent of Police Bhawesh Rimal said Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel are heading towards the incident sites for rescue operations.
Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal expressed grief over the incident and directed all government agencies, including the home administration, to coordinate in the search and rescue efforts for the missing passengers.
“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,” Dahal wrote in a social media post on ‘X’.
(Source: NEWS18)
