Early this morning, a landslide on the Madan-Ashrit Highway in Nepal swept two buses with 63 passengers into the Trishuli River. The incident involved the Kathmandu-bound Angel bus and Ganpati Deluxe, occurring around 3:30 am amid heavy rainfall.
Chief District Officer of Chitwan, Indradev Yadav, informed ANI, “As per the preliminary information, both 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.”
Yadav confirmed that the buses were traveling along the highway when the landslide struck, pushing them off the road and into the river below.
Expressing his sorrow, Dahal posted on X, “I am deeply saddened by the reports of about five dozen passengers 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.”
Due to inclement weather, all flights from Kathmandu to Bharatpur have been canceled for the day, reported ANI.
Since the monsoon season began, at least 62 people have been killed, and 90 others injured in rain-related incidents in Nepal, according to home ministry officials. Of these, 34 were killed by landslides, and 28 by floods from incessant rains. Seven individuals remain missing. The heavy rains have also caused substantial property damage, with 121 houses inundated and 82 others damaged, displacing a total of 1,058 households across the country.