The rescuers in Nepal have so far recovered 15 bodies, five of which have been identified as passengers from the missing buses, after the vehicles were swept into a swollen river following a mudslide in Chitwan district last week, officials said.
Earlier, nine bodies were recovered from Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East), three from Chitwan and one from Nawalparasi (Bardaghat-Susta West). Two more bodies have been found in the search operation on July 16.
Authorities had confirmed that there were 55 people on board the two buses, including seven Indian nationals, traveling on the highway connecting Kathmandu to southern parts of the country when they swept away early on July 12 near Simaltal, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of Kathmandu.
The bodies were washed away down the Trishuli River as far as 100 kilometers (60 miles). The Chitwan District Administration Office has published a list with names and details of the 55 on board. Three people narrowly escaped after they jumped off the bus and swam to safety.
The Nepal government has formed a task force to find missing buses in the Trishuli river. Continuous heavy downpours and the region's mountainous terrain are making it difficult to locate the missing wreckage as the waterways have turned murky brown.
Information Officer at the District Police Office, Nawalparasi (Bardaghat-Susta East), Deputy Superintendent of Police Bed Bahadur Poudel said that four bodies were found in the district.
Out of nine recovered in Nawalpur, the identities of the five deceased have been ascertained and it was confirmed that they were the passengers of the buses swept away by landslide.
The identities of four bodies found on July 15 have yet to be ascertained, said the official, adding that the bodies might be of those missing passengers. Investigations are being done accordingly, he said.
Two of the bodies were recovered near the Gandak Barrage Bridge, and the other two were found along the Narayani river bank at Madhyabindu-2.
The flooded Trishuli in Nepal flows all the way to India. Earlier, one of therecovered bodies was found as far as 100 km from accident site.
The Trishuli River, which originates in Tibet flows through Nepal before eventually joining the Narayani River. The Narayani River, in turn, flows into India where it is known as the Gandak River.
There is a likelihood of other bodies being found from the river as many people are swept away in different incidents in the monsoons and so it is important to confirm if the bodies found are among the victims of the landslide bus accident, the official said.
Meanwhile, Nepal has officially asked India for technical assistance in the ongoing search operation.
Nepal's Ministry of Home Affairs wrote to India on July 15, asking for India's assistance to search for the missing buses and passengers.
"We have written to the Indian government asking for technical assistance, including the divers, via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nepal," said Bhismakumar Bhusal, Joint Secretary at the Disaster and Conflict Management Division under the Home Ministry.
Monsoon season in Nepal from June to September brings heavy rain and often triggers landslides. The Himalayan nation has also witnessed multiple extreme weather events over the past decade and a half as it is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the climate crisis.
Rohit Wadhwaney in Chitwan, Nepal, contributed to the story.
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