Search for missing buses in Trishuli River to be continued tomorrow

KATHMANDU: A search for two passenger buses swept away by a landslide into the Trishuli River at Simaltal, along the Narayangadh-Muglin road section in Bharatpur Metropolitan City-29, has been temporarily halted for today.

Since early morning, rescue teams diligently searched for the vehicles and passengers, but as of this evening, no significant findings have been made. Chitwan's Chief District Officer (CDO), Indra Dev Yadav, confirmed that the buses remain elusive despite the day-long efforts.

"The water flow in the river has not subsided," CDO Yadav explained. "Despite searching three to four kilometres downstream from the incident site, nothing has been recovered." The challenging conditions — high water levels and poor visibility —have hindered the search.

During the operation, divers managed to retrieve a curtain attached to one of the buses — a vehicle belonging to Angel Deluxe company. However, the buses themselves remain submerged.

The search team, comprising divers from both the Armed Police Force (APF) Nepal and the Nepal Police, utilised five motorboats in their efforts. As the adverse conditions persist, the search will resume tomorrow morning.

The two buses involved are (Bagmati State-03-006Kh 1516) en route from Brigunj to Kathmandu and (Bagmati State-03-001Kh 2495) en route from Kathmandu to Gaur. The incident occurred around 3:00 am today when the landslide carried them into the raging Trishuli River.

READ ALSO:

• Search ongoing for 2 buses swept away by landslide into Trishuli River in Chitwan