KATHMANDU, July 14: A team of Armed Police Force deployed to search for the passengers missing in Friday’s Simaltal landslide recovered the body of an unidentified male from the Narayani River in Bharatpur Metropolitan City-26, Chitwan, on Tuesday afternoon. 

The team led by a Sub Inspector of Armed Police Force’s Battalion-17 however could not verify whether the victim was one of the passengers of the ill-fated buses swept away by the landslide into the Trishuli River in the weekend in which more than 60 people have been reported missing.

With this, the rescuers have recovered six bodies from the river but the identities of only three have been revealed yet. 

Those identified so far include Bikas Pariyar, 22, of Madi Municipality-1; Ramit Kushar Majhi, 19, of Barahathawa Municipality-3, Sarlahi district; and 28-year-old Rishi Paul Shah of Bairgania, Jamuhawa, Sitamadi, Bihar, India.

A total of 149 personnel from the Armed Police Force (APF) have been mobilized to search for the passengers of the two buses that went missing after being swept into the Trishuli River by a landslide last Friday. The APF has deployed 25 personnel under the command of an Inspector in the Simaltal area, the site of the landslide; 11 personnel in the Chunauli area under the command of a Deputy Superintendent of Police of the APF No 17 Battalion; 15 personnel along with rafting boats in the Golaghat area under the command of a Sub-Inspector; 10 personnel under the command of a Sub-Inspector in the Devghat area; and nine personnel under the command of a Sub-Inspector in the Pulchowk area of Bharatpur.

Two passenger buses, including one traveling from Kathmandu to Gaur and another heading towards Kathmandu from Birgunj, fell into the Trishuli River after being washed away by the landslide at Simaltal, Bharatpur Metropolitan City-29. It has been confirmed that the two buses were carrying 38 and 27 passengers, respectively.

The search for the missing buses and passengers continued till Sunday evening , with no sign of the wreckage so far.

65 passengers confirmed in two buses missing in Trishuli river

It has been confirmed that there were 65 passengers on the two buses involved in the accident on Friday morning on the Narayanghat-Mugling road section in Simaltal, Bharatpur Metropolitan City Ward No-29, Chitwan. According to the District Administration Office, Chitwan, the total number of passengers was determined based on tickets and statements from relatives who contacted the office.

 
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