Kathmandu (PTI): At least 65 people, including seven Indian nationals, are believed to be missing after two buses were swept away by a landslide in Nepal and pushed into a swollen river on Friday, according to media reports.

The two buses carrying 65 passengers went missing in the Trishuli River in the landslides at Simaltal area along the Narayanghat-Mugling road in Chitwan district, myRepublica news portal reported quoting officials.

Chief District Officer of Chitwan, Indradev Yadav, confirmed the incident.

According to Yadav, the Kathmandu-bound Angel bus and Ganpati Deluxe, en route to Gaur from the Capital, met with the accident at around 3:30 am.

Twenty-four people were onboard the bus travelling to Kathmandu and 41 on the bus travelling to Gaur, police said.

Three of the passengers on the Ganpati Deluxe bus managed to escape after jumping out of the vehicle, The Kathmandu Post reported.

Details have been received of 21 passengers travelling from Birgunj to Kathmandu on Angel Deluxe. According to the latest information, police have said that there were seven Indian nationals among the passengers on the bus, myRepublica reported.

Yadav said that the rescue workers have started clearing the landslide debris.

Expressing grief over the disappearance of the bus in the Trishuli River, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' has issued directives for immediate search and rescue operations.

"I am deeply saddened by the loss of nearly five dozen passengers and the loss of property due to floods and landslides in different parts of the country when a bus was washed away by a landslide on the Narayangadh-Muglin road section. I direct all agencies of the government, including the home administration, to search and effectively rescue the passengers," Prachanda posted on X.

The prime minister also expressed grief over the loss of life and property due to floods and landslides in different parts of the country. He urged citizens to take necessary precautions.

Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel are heading towards the incident sites for rescue operations, Superintendent of Police Bhawesh Rimal said.

Debris from landslides at various places has obstructed traffic on the Narayanghat-Mugling road section.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, at least 11 people died in landslides and floods triggered by incessant rain in Kaski district on Thursday.

More than 1,800 people have lost their lives in a decade due to monsoon disasters. During this period, about 400 people went missing and more than 1,500 people were injured in the disaster.

 

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Imphal, Nov 24: The autopsy reports of three of the six persons killed in Manipur's Jiribam district by suspected Kuki militants revealed multiple bullet injuries and lacerations on various parts of their bodies, officials said on Sunday.

The report of three-year-old Chingkheinganba Singh showed that his right eye was missing and he had a bullet wound in the skull, they said.

The report also noted cut wounds, fractures in the chest, and lacerations on the forearm and other parts of his body. Signed on November 17, the report indicated that the child's body was in a "state of decomposition", they added.

The report said the cause of death would be pending until the receipt of the chemical analysis report of viscera from the Directorate of Forensic Sciences in Guwahati, officials said.

The post-mortem examinations were conducted at the Silchar Medical College Hospital (SMCH) in Assam's Cachar district.

The report also detailed the injuries sustained by his mother, L Heitonbi Devi (25), who had "three bullet wounds in the chest and one in the buttock", officials said.

According to the report, her body was brought to SMCH on November 18, around seven days after her death, they said.

The child's grandmother, Y Rani Devi (60), suffered five bullet wounds -- one in the skull, two in the chest, one in the abdomen, and one in an arm, officials said.

Her body was brought to SMCH on November 17, at least three to five days after her death, the report noted.

The autopsy reports also showed deep lacerations on many parts of the bodies of the two women.

The cause of Rani Devi's death is also yet to be known, awaiting the chemical analysis report of the viscera, officials said.

The post-mortem reports of one more woman and two children are still pending, they said.

The six persons belonging to the Meitei community had gone missing from a relief camp in Jiribam after a gunfight between security forces and suspected Kuki-Zo militants that resulted in the deaths of 10 insurgents on November 11.

Their bodies were found in the Jiri river in Jiribam district, and the nearby Barak river in Assam's Cachar over the next few days.