Kathmandu: More than 60 people are missing in Nepal after a landslide triggered by heavy rain swept two buses off a highway and into a river, authorities said.
Dozens of search and rescue workers were combing the site for survivors of the disaster in the central district of Chitwan, district official Khimananda Bhusal told AFP.
Bhusal said the buses were carrying at least 66 people between them, but three passengers managed to escape before they hit the waterway and are now being treated in hospital.
“We are not sure of the total number as the buses may have picked up more on the road,” he said.
“The river has risen and no one else has been found yet.
The accident happened along the Narayanghat-Mugling highway, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal expressed grief over the accident in a post on social media platform X.
“I am directing all government agencies, including the domestic administration, to search and effectively rescue the passengers,” he said.
Fatal accidents are quite common in the Himalayan nation due to bad roads, poorly maintained vehicles and reckless driving. Road travel becomes more dangerous during the monsoon season as the rains cause landslides and floods.
