BHARATPUR: Nepali rescue teams on Friday retrieved the first body from a group of around 50 people who went missing when monsoon rains triggered a landslide, causing two buses to plunge off a highway and into a river.
The landslide on July 12, in central Chitwan district, forcefully pushed the buses beyond concrete barriers, sending them plummeting down a steep embankment roughly 30 meters from the road.
Police spokesman Kumar Neupane informed AFP that one body was discovered approximately 55 kilometers from the accident site.
District official Khimananda Bhusal revised the number of missing individuals down from the initial 63 reported on July 12, citing uncertainty about whether the buses had stopped to pick up or drop off passengers along the route.
Rescue efforts were challenging as teams struggled against strong currents in the Trishuli river, worsened by recent heavy rains. Rescuers employed rafts, sensors, and dive teams in their extensive search for survivors or traces of the vehicles and passengers.
The incident occurred before dawn along the Narayanghat-Mugling highway, roughly 100 kilometers west of Kathmandu. One bus was traveling from the capital to Gaur in Rautahat district, while the other was enroute from southern Birgunj to Kathmandu.
On the same highway, a separate accident claimed the life of a bus driver when his vehicle was struck by a boulder. Despite receiving medical treatment, he succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.
Nepal frequently witnesses deadly accidents due to poorly constructed roads, inadequately maintained vehicles, and reckless driving. Government statistics revealed that nearly 2,400 fatalities occurred on Nepali roads in the year up to April.
The dangers of road travel intensify during the annual monsoon season, when rains trigger landslides and floods across the mountainous terrain. Monsoon rains, vital for replenishing water supplies and offering relief from summer heat across South Asia from June to September, also bring widespread devastation. Since the start of the monsoon in June, floods, landslides, and lightning strikes have claimed the lives of 88 people in Nepal, according to police reports.
