Search for dozens missing after landslide sweeps buses into Nepal river is suspended

Rescuers work in the aftermath of a landslide at a location given as Chitwan District, Bagmati Province, Nepal, in this screen grab obtained from a handout video released on July 12, 2024. Armed Police Force Nepal via Facebook

KATHMANDU - Rescuers in Nepal have suspended their search for 51 passengers who are missing after a landslide swept the buses in which they were travelling into a swollen river, authorities said.

Officials initially said 62 people were missing after the incident in Chitwan district, about 86 km (53 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu, but the number was revised to 51 after passenger details were collected from bus operators.

At least three passengers survived with minor injures by jumping off the buses before the mass of rocks and mud came down the slopes, according to authorities.

But efforts by hundreds of security personnel and more than two dozen divers yielded no signs of the buses or their passengers.

"We will resume the search tomorrow morning," Chitwan Deputy Administrator Khimananda Bhusal said as dusk approached.

Images on social media showed rescue boats on the fast-flowing Trishuli River, which looked brown in colour due to mud and silt.

A total of seven Indian nationals were among the missing passengers, said Antim Sinjali, a district official.

Landslides and floods triggered by torrential monsoon rains have killed at least 91 people in Nepal since mid-June.

About 17 people died across the country in lightning strikes and floods and landslides triggered by the rain over the preceding 24 hours, police said on Friday evening.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal expressed sadness over the disasters on Friday and instructed government agencies to conduct effective search and rescue operations.

Following the incident involving the two buses, the government also announced plans to ban night bus operations in places with poor weather forecasting facilities.

- (Reuters)