Nepal: 14 bodies found after buses swept into river by landslide, officals say

There were 65 people in vehicles that were pushed off one of the country's main roads by a landslide amid torrential monsoon rain.

Tuesday 16 July 2024 10:31, UK

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The bodies of 14 people have been recovered from a river in Nepal after two buses were swept off a highway by a landslide, officials have said.

There were 65 people on the buses, the Chitwan District Administration Office said on Tuesday.

Eight of them have been identified and handed over to relatives. Six were Indian nationals, the office said.

More than 500 rescue personnel have taken part in the search operation.

The vehicles were pushed off the main highway connecting Nepal's capital Kathmandu with the country's south and into the Trishuli River by a landslide on Friday morning.

The disaster happened near Simaltal, around 75 miles (120km) west of the capital, but the bodies were swept as far as 60 miles (100km) downstream.

The administration office published a list with names and details of the 65 people who were on board. There were 38 people on one bus and 27 on the other.

Three people survived after being ejected from one of the vehicles.

Hundreds of rescuers from the police and army searched the river and downstream areas on Tuesday but have not found any trace of the buses.

Nepal's rivers are generally fast-flowing due to the mountainous terrain. At the same time, recent heavy monsoon rains have swollen the waterways and turned them murky brown, making it even harder to see the wreckage.

Monsoon season brings heavy rains to Nepal from June to September, often triggering landslides in the mountainous Himalayan country.

The driver of a third bus was killed when the vehicle he was driving was hit by another nearby landslide on Friday.

Elsewhere in the country, 17 people died and three more were injured due to landslides, home minister Rabi Lamichhane said.

Nepal: 14 bodies found after buses swept into river by landslide, officals say

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