Nepal Landslide: Indian Worker's Body Among 3 Found From Trishuli River After Twin Bus Accident

Three bodies, including an Indian national, were recovered from a mudslide-hit bus wreckage in Nepal's Trishuli River. The deceased Indian was Rishi Pal Shahi, a 40-year-old working in Nepal.

The body of a 40-year-old Indian national working in Nepal was also recovered along with three dead bodies which were found by rescuers on Saturday from the wreckage of two buses. A total of 54 passengers, including 7 Indians, went missing after monsoon rains triggered a landslide that swept both the buses off a highway into the Trishuli River.

However, three people swam to safety later. This incident occurred in the Simaltal area along the Narayanghat-Mugling road in the Chitwan district on Friday, news agency PTI reported. 

The first body which was recovered in the morning, was found 50 km away from the accident site. The deceased was identified as Rishi Pal Shahi from India, PTI quoted police as saying. The body carrying an Indian ID was found half covered by sand in the Narayani River of Chitwan district, police also said.

In the afternoon, rescuers recovered two additional bodies from the Gaindakot area in East Nawalparasi district. Police confirmed that both deceased were Nepali nationals missing from the accident. They were passengers on a bus traveling from Birgunj to Kathmandu.

Besides Shahi, the identified among the missing Indian nationals are Santosh Thakur, Surendra Sah, Adit Miyaan, Sunil, Shahnawaj Alam, and Ansari, alongside Shahi.

The buses, one carrying 24 people, including seven Indian nationals, from Birgunj to Kathmandu and the other with 30 local passengers going to Gaur from Kathmandu, were swept away by a landslide induced by heavy rain.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and Chitwan District Police Office spokesperson Bhesh Raj Rijal, the deceased Indian national was a passenger of the bus that was on a way to Gaur from Kathmandu, MyRepublica news portal reported.

Quoting his brother, the report says that Shahi was originally from the Rajmunuwa area of Bihar's Motihari city and used to reside and work in Nepal. More than 500 security personnel from the Nepali Army and Nepal Police, along with deep divers, were deployed for the search operation. During the operation motorboats and drones, including a water drone from the Armed Police Force (APF) were used to locate the missing buses in the Trishuli River, as reported by MyRepublica.

'Search Resumed Using Sonar Camera:' Nepal Police

DSP Shailendra Thapa also mentioned that the search resumed using a sonar camera for pipeline inspection. It was stopped on Friday evening because it was not possible to work during the night with high water current along with muddy water, the police official said.

The search operation was paused on Friday evening due to high water currents and resumed at 8 am Saturday. "All possible locations will be searched and we will put all our best efforts into search and rescue," Thapa said.

Nepal, highly vulnerable to climate change, has faced numerous extreme weather events over the past decade and a half. The Kathmandu Post reported that the temperatures of Nepal are rising faster at 0.056 degrees Celsius a year, compared to the global average rise of 0.03 degrees Celsius a year.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority expected that 1.81 million people and 412,000 households is likely to be affected by the monsoon this year. Experts also noted that there will be a rise in extreme weather events, such as heavy rainfall in short periods, prolonged rains post-monsoon, dry spells, droughts, below-average precipitation, and warmer winters.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority estimates that 1.81 million people and 412,000 households will be affected by monsoon this year.