NDRF team in Nepal to help with search for missing passengers, 2 buses
Only 15 bodies have been confirmed to be those of passengers of the buses that were swept away by the Trishuli on July 12; buses were carrying 65 people in all
Twelve rescue personnel from India on Sunday (July 21) joined the Nepali security forces in their search for several missing passengers on two buses that were swept away by a landslide into a swollen river in Nepal last week.
Nepal seeks help
Nepal sought assistance from India to carry out a search operation for the buses that were swept into the Trishuli River after a landslide hit the region on July 12.
The Indian rescue team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) reached Bagmati province’s Chitwan on Saturday at the request of Nepal. Seven Indian nationals were in one of the buses. The bodies of three of them have been found so far.
The Indian team started the search operation on Sunday morning, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.
24 bodies found
Twenty-four bodies have been found so far, after the buses carrying 65 passengers were swept away by the Trishuli River along the Narayanghat-Muglin road section. Three passengers managed to get out and swam to the bank.
Some of the bodies were swept away as far as 100 km down the Trishuli River. They have been recovered from various locations in Nepal and also from the Indian side.
However, only 15 of the bodies have been confirmed to be those of passengers of the missing buses. At least four of the bodies were reportedly of Indians.
NDRF divers
Twelve personnel from India’s NDRF, trained in rescue and search operations, will be deployed for a search operation for seven days, according to Chitwan’s Chief District Officer Indradev Yadav.
The team, including four divers, arrived with the necessary devices, including three sonar cameras.
Rescue and search teams from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, and Armed Police Force have been searching the wreckage of buses and the passengers since the incident, with little success so far.
Monsoon mayhem
Nepal’s rivers are generally fast-flowing due to the mountainous terrain. Heavy monsoon downpours in the past few days have swollen the waterways and turned them murky brown, making it even more difficult to spot the wreckage.
Monsoon brings heavy rain to Nepal from June to September, often triggering landslides in the mountainous Himalayan country.
(With agency inputs)