KATHMANDU, Jul 12 (NNN-XINHUA) – Twelve people were killed and 65 others went missing, after their buses were swept away by landslides, in separate incidents last night and this morning, local police said.
Last night, seven members of one family and three others died, in landslides in Pokhara of Kaski district, while another person lost her life in Madi Rural Municipality of the district, said Basant Kumar Sharma, spokesperson for the district police.
“We have recovered 11 dead bodies from three places in the district,” Sharma said.
Meanwhile, 65 passengers went missing, after two buses were swept away by landslides, in Chitwan district on the Mugling-Narayanghat stretch of a highway, that connects Kathmandu with the rest of the country.
One bus with 24 passengers aboard was enroute to Kathmandu from Birgunj, while the other carrying 41 passengers was going to Gaur in Rautahat district from Kathmandu.
“Both buses are suspected to have fallen in the Trishuli River. Rescue teams that include divers have been mobilised to trace them,” Bhesh Raj Rijal, spokesperson for the district police, said.
In another incident, a driver of another bus was killed, after a falling stone hit him in Chitwan on the same stretch of the highway.
Nepali Prime Minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, has directed the security forces to expedite the rescue efforts.– NNN-XINHUA
