CHITWAN: It has been over two weeks since the Simaltal tragedy, but 38 passengers remain missing.
On July 12, two buses were swept into the Trishuli River by a landslide at Simaltal along the Narayangadh-Muglin road section in Bharatpur Metropolis-29.
Despite the efforts of a 12-member underwater rescue squad from India, dispatched at the request of the Nepalese government, no traces of the buses or passengers have been found, according to Chief District Officer Indra Dev Yadav.
The Indian team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) began their search on July 20.
After a week of extensive efforts with no success, the team returned to India on Sunday. CDO Yadav stated that they will report their findings to the government officially.
Since July 19, neither the buses nor the missing passengers have been located. Earlier, 24 corpses were recovered from various locations.
According to CDO Yadav, the Indian rescuers indicated that the missing buses might be located somewhere between Simaltal and Gaighat, spanning approximately 3.5 kilometers.
However, they could not confirm this with certainty.
The Nepali rescue teams continue their search based on this estimation, despite facing challenges due to the deep river and strong water currents.
The buses involved were en route to Kathmandu from Birgunj and from Kathmandu to Gaur.
Of the 24 bodies recovered, only 18 have been identified; the remaining individuals are still missing.
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