Indian search team returns home today

A 12-member Indian rescue and search team that had come to Nepal to search for passengers and buses missing in the Simaltal incident returned on Sunday.

Rescue workers from India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) joined the Nepali teams on July 21 and were involved in the operation for a week.

Despite all the joint efforts, the buses that disappeared into the river on July 12 have still not been found. However, the search was successful as the experienced Indian team used modern sonar equipment.

“We will review the work done so far by the joint teams, express our gratitude to the Indian team and bid them farewell today,” said Chitwan’s Chief District Officer Indradev Yadav

He said the Nepali team would continue with the second phase of the search operation. “However, it will not be as fast and intensive as the previous one,” Yadav said.

Two buses carrying 65 passengers on the Narayanghat-Muglin road were hit by a landslide and swept away by the Trishuli river in the early hours of July 12. Three of the passengers somehow managed to get out of the bus and swim to the bank.

The search team has so far found 25 bodies on the banks of the Narayani River and in the Triveni Dam area, about 103 kilometers downstream from the accident site. Only 19 of the bodies found downstream have been confirmed as missing.

The Indian team used two powerful magnets weighing 19 and 14 kilograms for Saturday’s search. However, the 19-kilogram magnet was lost in the river. Indian technicians said the river’s turbulent flow and high water levels had hampered search efforts.