Nepal Landslide: 7 Indians Killed, Several Missing as 2 Buses Fall into River, Rescue Ops Underway

Kathmandu: At least 7 Indians were killed among 65 people missing after two buses swept away after a landslide on the Madan-Ashrit Highway during the wee hours of Friday, July 12. As per reports, the incident occurred at around 03:30 am amid heavy rainfall in the region.

The Chief District Officer of Chitwan, Indradev Yadav, told ANI that the buses were travelling along the highway when the landslide struck, pushing both off the road and into the raging river below.

"As per the preliminary information both the buses were carrying a total of 63 people including the bus drivers. The landslide swept the buses at around 3:30 am. We are at the incident site and a search operation is underway. Incessant rain is hampering our efforts to search for the missing buses," Indradev Yadav, Chief District Officer, Chitwan told ANI.

Amid this incident, Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda,' expressed his sadness and instructed all government agencies to search and rescue the passengers.

"I am deeply saddened by the reports of about five dozen passengers that are missing after the buses were washed away by a landslide on the Narayangadh-Muglin road section and the loss of properties due to floods and landslides in different parts of the country. I direct all agencies of the government, including the home administration, to search and effectively rescue the passengers," the prime minister posted on X.

Flights from Kathmandu to Bharatpur and Chitwan Cancelled Amid Bad Weather

All flights on the Kathmandu to Bharatpur and Chitwan routes have been suspended due to dense fog and heavy rainfall in Nepal.

Flights were unable to operate because of low visibility caused by fog and overcast conditions.

With heavy rainfall lashing Nepal for the past few days, landslides have been simultaneously occurring in various places due to which several roads and highways were shut across the nation. Over 60 people have been killed and some 90 people sustained injuries in rain-related incidents in Nepal, the home ministry said in a statement last week.

The Road department officials had closed the Narayanghat-Kathmandu road for 15 days due to the risk of landslides in the wake of the incessant rainfall. However, despite that, traffic was restored.

"The buses were travelling along the highway when the landslide struck, pushing them off the road and into the river below. Both buses were carrying a total of 65 people, including the drivers. We are currently at the incident site, and a search operation is underway. However, incessant rain is hampering our efforts to locate the missing buses," Indradev Yadav, Chief District Officer of Chitwan, told ANI.

(Inputs from ANI)