Kathmandu: Two passenger buses were washed away early on Friday morning by a landslide that occurred along the Madan-Ashrit Highway in Central Nepal, leaving at least fifty persons missing. The bus is thought to have been washed down to the Trishuli River, which has flooded and hampered the search and rescue effort, according to officials at the scene of the tragedy.
65 people are believed missing after a landslide swept two buses on the Madan-Ashrit Highway in Central Nepal into the Trishuli River. The incident occurred this morning, with the buses carrying a total of 63 passengers including the bus drivers. Search and rescue operations are… pic.twitter.com/EBBQcJnDMP
— Kumaon Jagran (@KumaonJagran) July 12, 2024
Flooding Hampers Rescue Efforts
“63 persons in total, including the bus drivers, were being transported by two buses, according to the first information. Around 3:30 AM, the buses were carried away by the avalanche. A search is currently taking place at the scene of the event. Our efforts to look for the missing buses are being hampered by the constant rain,” Chief District Officer of Chitwan, Indradev Yadav, told ANI over the phone.
The authority said that the landslide carried the Ganpati Deluxe and the Angel bus that was traveling from Kathmandu to Rautahat’s Gaur. There were 24 passengers on the bus bound for Kathmandu and 41 passengers on another bus, according to the officials’ first reports.
Prime Minister of Nepal Orders Immediate Action
Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the prime minister of Nepal, said on X, “I am so sorry to hear that a bus carrying about fifty passengers went missing after a landslide on the Narayangadh-Muglin road section and that properties were lost to floods and landslides in various parts of the country. I give the order to all government agencies, including the home administration, to look for the passengers and successfully rescue them.” Because of the bad weather, all flights from Kathmandu to Bharatpur, in Chitwan, have been canceled for the day.
After leaping from the Ganpati Deluxe, three of the occupants were able to get away. Superintendent of Police Bhawesh Rimal has advised that members of the Armed Police Force and Nepal Police are en route to the incident sites to conduct rescue operations. There have been several landslide-related debris accumulations that have impeded traffic on the Narayanghat-Mugling road segment.
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