60 missing after Nepal landslide sweeps two buses into river

KATHMANDU-At least 60 people are missing, while three others who swam to safety and are being treated in a nearby hospital.

The buses were travelling on a highway connecting the capital to southern parts of Nepal when they were swept away near Simaltal, about 120 kilometres west of Kathmandu, police said.

Three survivors apparently swam to safety, but rescuers by late morning had not found any trace of the buses, which likely were submerged and swept downstream in the Trishuli River. Nepal’s rivers generally are fast-flowing due to the mountainous terrain. Heavy monsoon downpours in the past few days have swollen the waterways and turned their waters murky brown, making it even more difficult to see the wreckage.

Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane told parliament 51 passengers were missing and more than 500 rescue personnel have been assigned to the search operation.

Elsewhere in the country, 17 people have died and three more people were injured due to landslides in different districts in the past 24 hours, he said

Monsoon season brings heavy rains to Nepal from June to September, often triggering landslides in the mountainous Himalayan country.

The government has imposed a ban on passengers buses travelling at night in the areas where weather warnings have been issued, according to the Home Ministry.

Political instability and widespread corruption have complicated a disaster response already short on resources.

The coalition government in Kathmandu is in disarray again, with a new alliance seeking to topple the current prime minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal. If he is ousted, the country will get its second government since the parliamentary elections held in November 2022.