CHITWAN: Ambulance drivers who transported bodies swept away by the Bhotekoshi flood from the Narayani riverbank to Bharatpur Hospital and later to Devghat for management have been honoured.
The drivers were honoured during the fifth general assembly and convention of the Chitwan district chapter of the Joint Ambulance Drivers Association Nepal (Trade Union Association) on Saturday. A total of 65 ambulance drivers were honoured on the occasion.
Chief District Officer Ganesh Aryal praised the role played by ambulance drivers during the disaster.
“We were supposed to lead the effort to collect the bodies, but the ambulance drivers went ahead while we followed,” Aryal said.
He said such contributions made during disasters should be recognised by the state.
The association’s central president, Navaraj Lamichhane, said the drivers were involved in retrieving bodies from the river and transporting them to and from ambulances.
“We carried bodies that had been decomposing for three or four days without hesitation,” he said, adding that some bodies had to remain in ambulances for extended periods due to a lack of space for storage.
Chitwan District Police Office chief Superintendent of Police Rameshwar Poudel also praised the drivers for their role during the disaster.
Representatives from Chitwan Medical College, Bharatpur Hospital, the ambulance drivers’ association and Nepal Blood Donors Association, among others, spoke at the programme.
The convention also elected a 29-member new working committee under the leadership of Kalyan Lama.
Ambulances from Chitwan, Dhading, Nawalparasi, Tanahun, Kaski and Nuwakot were involved in managing bodies during the Bhotekoshi flood.
A total of 135 ambulances in Chitwan were affiliated with the association. Chitwan recorded the highest number of bodies recovered from the Bhotekoshi flood, with 369 bodies found in the district.
Comment