Simaltal landslide: 149 APF personnel mobilized to search for the missing bus passengers

Kathmandu, July 14: One hundred and forty-nine personnel of the Armed Police Force (APF) have been mobilized for searching for the passengers of the two buses that went missing after being swept away into the Trishuli river by a landslide last Friday.

Seventy-nine personnel including 11 divers have been mobilized under the leadership of a Deputy Superintendent of Police from the APF Nepal, Disaster Management Training Academy Kurintar.
APF Nepal’s joint-spokesperson and Deputy Superintendent Shailendra Thapa said the APF personnel have also been mobilized at various areas along the bank of the Trishuli river for searching for the missing passengers.

Along with the APF personnel, the personnel of the Nepali Army and Nepal Police have also been mobilized. The APF has mobilized 25 of its personnel under the command of an Inspector at Simaltal area, the site of the landslide, 11 personnel at Chunauli area under the command of Deputy Superintendent of the APF No 17 Battalion, 15 personnel along with rafting boats at Golaghat area under the command of a Sub-Inspector, 10 personnel under the command of a Sub-Inspector at Devghat area, and nine personnel under the command of a Sub-Inspector at Pulchok area of Bharatpur.

The APF stated that although the volume of water in the river is high and it is murky, the search operation has been continued. The security personnel mobilized for rescue have been carrying out the search using drone cameras, sonar camera and other equipment.

So far five bodies of the missing passengers have been found and among them the identity of three has been established. The bodies are that of Bikas Pariyar, 22, of Madi Municipality-1, of Ramit Kushar Majhi, 19, of Barahathawa Municipality-3, Sarlahi district and that of 28-year-old Rishipal Saha of Barginiya Jamuhawa, Sitamadi of Bihar, India.

Chief District Officer Indradev Yadav said that a large number of security personnel have been mobilized for the search being carried out in the incident-site i.e. Simaltal and along the Narayani river downstream.

Two passenger buses, including one going to Gaur from Kathmandu and the next one heading towards Kathmandu from Birgunj fell into Trishuli after they were washed away by landslide at Simaltal, Bharatpur Metropolitan City-29. It is estimated that the two buses were carrying 38 and 27 passengers respectively. The search for the missing bus and passengers continues today, with no sign of the bus wreckage so far.