Nepal: A bus carrying 40 passengers from India plunged into the Marsyangdi river in Nepal’s Tanahun district. The bus was traveling from Pokhara to Kathmandu when the accident occurred, according to Tanahun DSP Deepkumar Raya, who spoke to news agency ANI.
At least 14 people have died, and 16 have been rescued. The whereabouts of the remaining 10 are unknown. “The bus with number plate UP FT 7623 fell into the river and is now on the riverbank,” Raya confirmed. The accident probably happened due to poor weather during the ongoing monsoon season.
Update: 14 casualties
The Nepal Army, APF, Nepal Police are on the ground, using ropes to rescue those trapped.
The bus was carrying 40 passengers, including Indian nationals.
The Army has also deployed helicopters, which are currently awaiting landing.
Rescue underway pic.twitter.com/2g4cUj2TJD
— Saloni Murarka (@murarka_saloni) August 23, 2024
Nepal Police Team Launches Rescue Efforts
A team of 45 Armed Police Force members, led by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Madhav Paudel from the Armed Police Force Nepal Disaster Management Training School, has arrived at the accident site and is working on the rescue. Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Relief Commissioner said, “We are checking to see if anyone from Uttar Pradesh was on the bus.”
Last month, two buses with 65 people, including seven Indians, were swept into the Trishuli River by a huge landslide on the Madan-Ashrit Highway in Central Nepal. The bodies of five Indians were later recovered. Despite extensive search efforts, including a 12-member team from India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the authorities have not yet found the two missing buses or the passengers swept away by the landslide.
As of August 12, search teams have found 25 bodies along the Narayani riverbanks and at the Triveni Dam area, 103 km from the disaster site. In the past two months, nearly 200 people have died due to landslides and floods from continuous rain in different parts of Nepal, and 5,000 people have been displaced.
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