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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Bareilly (UP), Nov 24: Three people died when their car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge here on Sunday, police said, adding that they suspect the driver was misled by its navigation system into taking the unsafe route.

The accident occurred around 10 am on the Khalpur-Dataganj road when the victims were travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district, they said.

"Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the system," Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam said.

The driver was using a navigation system and did not realise that the bridge was unsafe, driving the car off the damaged section, the police said.

There were no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach to the damaged bridge, leading to the fatal accident, Shivam said.

Upon receiving information, police teams from Faridpur, Bareilly and Dataganj police station rushed to the spot. They recovered the vehicle and the bodies from the river, Shivam added.

The circle officer said that bodies had been sent for post-mortem. Further investigation into the matter is underway.