2024-07-13 15:27:28
The first body was found on Saturday after a landslide, caused by rain, swept two buses into the Trishuli river in Nepal, local police announced. “A body was found about 55 kilometers from the crash site,” said police spokesman Kumar Neupane.
The accident happened on the road that connects the towns of Narayanghat to Mugling, about a hundred kilometers west of the capital Kathmandu, early Friday around 3:30 a.m. About 50 people are still missing, Chitwana district official Khimananda Bhusal told AFP, downgrading the number of 63 missing reported by authorities on Friday.
The investigation is still ongoing
“It is difficult to confirm the missing number because we do not know whether the buses stop on the way to pick up or drop passengers,” he admitted. On Saturday, rescue teams extended their search and moved down from the crash site.
But the storm surge, made worse by heavy rains last week, has halted their efforts. “We will search all possible places,” assured Indra Dev Yadav, head of the central district of Chitwan where the accident happened. “We will use all our powers for search and rescue, regardless of water level, current and mud,” he added.
Many fatal accidents
Three passengers who managed to escape from danger and one has been able to leave the hospital. One of the buses was traveling from Kathmandu to Gaur in Rautahat district in southern Nepal and the other was on its way to Kathmandu from Birgunj in southern Nepal.
Fatal accidents are quite frequent in this Himalayan country, mainly due to the poor condition of the roads and well-maintained vehicles. According to government figures, nearly 2,400 people lost their lives on Nepal’s roads in the 12 months to April.
Scientists say climate change is making the monsoons, which hit South Asia from July to September, even stronger and more erratic.
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