Chitwan, July 14
The District Administration Office, Chitwan, has revealed that the two buses involved in the recent landslide at Simaltal on the Narayangadh-Mugling road section were carrying 15 more passengers than officially registered.
The landslide, which occurred on the morning of July 12, has left 58 passengers unaccounted for. According to reports, relatives of the passengers reported to the administration office that their family members were on the buses, despite not being listed in the official records.
One of the buses, the Bagmati Province 032495 K 001 Ganapati Deluxe, travelling from Kathmandu to Gaur, had 27 passengers on record. However, it was discovered that an additional 11 passengers boarded the bus at various stops along the way, bringing the total number of passengers to 38.
Similarly, the Angel Deluxe bus with registration number Bagmati Province 03-006 K 1516, en route from Birgunj to Kathmandu, was officially recorded to have 23 passengers. However, it picked up four additional passengers during its journey.
The tragic incident affected a total of 65 passengers. Out of these, three passengers managed to survive by swimming to safety, while four bodies have been recovered. Among the recovered bodies, three have been identified, and one remains unidentified. The status of 58 passengers remains unknown.
Rescue operations have been ongoing. Today marks the third day of the search, with trained personnel from the Armed Police Force’s Disaster Management Training School in Kurintar and the Nepalese Army’s Disaster Management Battalion in Rasouli conducting the search. Despite extensive efforts on Friday and Saturday, the buses’ locations have yet to be determined.
