Simaltal Disaster: Indian Team Arrives with Equipment to Search for Missing

The search for two buses and their passengers, who went missing in the Trishuli River at Simaltal on the Narayangadh-Muglin section under Bharatpur Metropolitan Municipality-29 in Chitwan, continues today.

A team of 10 specialists from India, equipped with advanced search equipment, has arrived at Simaltal, the accident site, to aid in the search efforts.

On July 12, two buses were swept into the river by a landslide early in the morning. There were 65 passengers on board, three of whom survived by swimming to safety.

Out of the 62 missing passengers, 23 bodies have been recovered so far, with 15 identified. Nine bodies, including eight men and one woman, remain unidentified.

The bodies have been found in various locations including Golaghat, Salbas, and Siswar in Chitwan, Gaindakot in Nawalpur, and Bhutaha and the Triveni Barrage area along the coastal region of the incident site.

The buses involved were Bagmati Province No. 03-006 B 1516, traveling to Kathmandu from Birganj, and Bagmati Province No. 03-001 B 2459, traveling to Gaur from Kathmandu. Both were swept away by the landslide and disappeared into the Trishuli River.