BTN News: Rescue teams in Nepal have found eleven bodies in a river. Two buses full of people were swept away by a landslide. This sad event happened on Friday morning near Simaltal. Simaltal is about 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of Kathmandu. The buses were on a major road linking the capital to the southern parts of the country. Search efforts are still going on. Authorities are working hard to find the missing buses and about 50 passengers who were on board. This tragedy has affected many people, showing how risky travel can be during Nepal’s monsoon season.
Rescue teams found the bodies in different spots along the riverbanks. The search for the missing buses and passengers continues. Government official Khima Nanda Bhusal said that seven of the bodies have been identified. Families have been informed. Among the dead are three Indians and four Nepalese people.
Four more bodies were found in the river, but they have not been identified yet. It is not clear if they were on the buses. Bhusal stressed the rescue teams’ commitment, saying, “We will continue the search as long as needed. We will not stop until everyone is found.”
The buses were on a key road when the landslide hit, sweeping them away. The first body was found on Sunday, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from where the buses fell. Some bodies were found as far as the border with India. Authorities said two bodies were found in Tribeni, over 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the landslide site.
Families of the missing passengers have gathered by the river, waiting for news. Rescue teams, including security forces, are using magnets, diving gear, and sonar devices to help their search. The monsoon rains have made the rivers swell and turned the water brown, making it hard to see debris and bodies.
The weather got better on Saturday, allowing rescue teams to cover more ground. Heavy machinery has cleared much of the landslide debris from the road, giving better access to the area. The search has expanded southward from where the first body was found.
Nepal’s monsoon season brings heavy rains from June to September, often causing landslides in the Himalayan nation. The government has banned nighttime bus travel in areas with weather alerts to prevent more tragedies.
This sad event shows the dangers faced by travelers in Nepal during the monsoon season. Rescue efforts are ongoing, and the hope remains that more survivors will be found. Lessons learned from this tragedy will help improve safety measures in the future.
