Editor-DN
Kathmandu:
Nepali aid teams resumed the search early Saturday for at least 63 people who went missing after monsoon rains triggered a landslide that swept two buses off a highway and into a river.
The force of the landslide in central Chitwan district on Friday pushed vehicles at least 30 meters (100 feet) off the road, down concrete crash barriers and a steep embankment.
Dozens of rescuers spent hours struggling to comb the swollen Trishuli River, an effort hampered by muddy waters and strong currents, forcing them to end the search before sunset.
No sign of the vehicles or their occupants has been found yet.
“We will search all possible places,” Chitwan district chief Indira Dev Yadav told AFP.
“We will use all our capabilities to search and rescue despite the water levels, currents and muddy waters.”
At least 66 people were on board the buses, but three passengers managed to escape and were being treated at a local hospital, district official Khemanand Bhosal told AFP on Friday.
The accident occurred before dawn on the Narayanghat-Mugling highway, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Kathmandu.
One bus was going from the capital to Gaur in Rotahat district of southern Nepal and the other was going to Kathmandu from South Birgunj.
In a separate accident on the same road, a driver was killed after being hit by a bus. He died while undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Fatal accidents due to poorly constructed roads, damaged vehicles and careless driving are common in the Himalayan republic.
About 2,400 people lost their lives on Nepal’s roads in the 12 months to April, according to official figures.
In January, 12 people were killed and 24 injured when a bus from Nepalganj to Kathmandu fell into a river.
Road travel becomes deadly during the annual monsoon season as rains cause landslides and floods in the hilly country.
Across South Asia, the monsoon rains from June to September provide a respite from the summer heat and are critical to replenishing water supplies, but also bring widespread death and destruction.
Rainfall is difficult to predict and varies greatly, but scientists say climate change is making the monsoon stronger and more erratic.
According to police data, 88 people have been killed in floods, landslides and lightning strikes across the country since the monsoon began in June.
(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
