Rescuers in Nepal resumed the search early on Saturday for at least 63 people still missing after monsoon rains triggered a landslide that swept two buses off a highway into a river.
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The impact of the landslide in central Chitwan district on Friday caused the vehicle to overturn a concrete guardrail and fall down a steep slope at least 30 metres off the road.
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Dozens of rescue workers searched desperately for hours in the raging Trishuli river but were forced to call off the search at nightfall, hampered by muddy water and strong currents.
No trace of the vehicle or its occupants has yet been found.
“We will search all possible locations,” Chitwan district chief Indra Dev Yadav told AFP.
“We will continue to do our utmost to assist with search and rescue efforts regardless of water level, current or water turbidity.”
District official Kimmananda Bhusal told AFP on Friday that at least 66 people were on board the bus, of which three passengers managed to escape and were treated at a local hospital.
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The accident happened before dawn along the Narayanghat-Mugling highway, about 100 km west of Kathmandu.
One bus was on its way from the capital to Gaur in Rautahat district in southern Nepal, while the other was on its way from Birgunj in the south to Kathmandu.
In another accident on the same road, a bus was hit by a rock, killing the driver, who died while undergoing treatment at hospital.
The Himalayan republic is home to a high number of fatal accidents due to poorly maintained roads, poorly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.
About 2,400 people lost their lives on Nepal’s roads in the 12 months to April, according to government figures.
In January, 12 people were killed and 24 injured when a bus travelling from Nepalgunj to Kathmandu plunged into the river.
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During the annual monsoon season, road travel becomes more dangerous as rains cause landslides and floods across the mountainous country.
Monsoon rains, which fall across South Asia between June and September, are essential for moderating the summer heat and replenishing water resources, but they also cause widespread death and destruction.
Rainfall is hard to predict and highly variable, but scientists say climate change is making monsoons stronger and more erratic.
Floods, landslides and lightning strikes have killed 88 people across the country since the monsoon began in June, according to police statistics.
Afternoon/GLE/CWL
This article has been generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.
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