By Basanta Parajuli ,Bharatpur, July 15: The government has decided to seek technical support and equipment from the government of India and China for the search of the two buses missing with passengers in the Trishuli River since July 12.
Concluding that Nepali resources alone are insufficient to locate the missing buses, the government has initiated the process of bringing special equipment from the two neighbouring countries.
Home Secretary for the federal government Eaknarayan Aryal, who visited the incident site along with security chiefs of Nepal Police and Armed Police Force to monitor the search and rescue operations, said that the government had requested for the equipment from the embassies of the respective countries.
“The search for the buses and passengers will now proceed more rapidly. The embassies of China and India are positive about providing the necessary equipment for the search operations,” he told journalists gathered at the rescue site in Chitwan on Sunday.
Regarding the type of equipment to be brought, Secretary Aryal said that the decision will be made after determining the depth of the Trishuli River. “The equipment will be requested based on the river’s depth. The embassy officials are also positive about bringing the equipment at the earliest possible,” he added.
Despite having a contingency plan in place, the accident was catastrophic, Secretary Aryal said, emphasising that their top priority is to identify the missing bodies and provide relief to the families of the deceased.
Two buses with 65 passengers have been missing in the Trishuli River since Friday morning in Bharatpur Metropolitan City-29, Simaltaal.
The two missing night buses include Ganapati Deluxe Bagmati Province 001 Kha 2495 traveling from Kathmandu to Gaur and Angels Dealers Bagmati Province 03-006 Kha-1516 travelling from Birgunj to Kathmandu.
Out of the 65 passengers, three managed to swim to safety while the bodies of eight passengers have been found as of Sunday. Of them, five were found on Sunday and three on Saturday.
The five bodies were recovered from Golaghatof Meghauli, Chitwan, Sisawar, Chitwan, Gaidakot, Nawalparai, Tribeni and Tribeni Barrage on Sunday.
Based on identification cards found with them, the deceased have been identified as 40-year-old Sazad Ansari from West Champaran, Bettiah District, Bihar, India, and Prakash Thakur from Rautahat. Prakash’s body was found in Gaindakot, while Sazad’s was found in Meghauli Golaghat.
Additionally, on Saturday, the bodies of 22-year-old Bikas Pariyar from Chitwan Madi, 19-year-old Ramit Kushar Majhi from Sarlahi Barahathwa, and 28-year-old Rishi Pal from Sitamarhi, Bihar, India, were found.
All the recovered bodies have been ascertained, but the status of the remaining 57 passengers is still unknown, said the Chitwan District Police Office. Secretary Aryal said that the government’s primary responsibility was to search for the missing passengers and vehicles.
A joint team of the Nepali Army, Armed Police Force Nepal, and Nepal Police has been conducting the search operation for three days but has yet to locate the buses.
To intensify and make the search and rescue operations more effective, a team led by Home Secretary Aryal, including Chief of the Army Staff Prabhuram Sharma, Inspector General of Police Basanta Bahadur Kunwar, and Inspector General of Armed Police Force Raju Aryal, visited the incident site.
Meanwhile, families of the missing passengers criticised the delay in the search and rescue operations. Joint Spokesperson and Superintendent of Police (SP) of the Armed Police Force Shailendra Thapa acknowledged the slow progress despite their all-possible efforts with available resources. He also said it is natural for the victims’ families to be angry when there has been little progress.
SP Thapa claimed that the search operations involved advanced technology. “The devices used by the Armed Police Force are high-tech, but they may not function as expected in highly muddy water and strong water currents,” he said.
SP Thapa emphasised that their rescue personnel are trained and experienced in such conditions, but even their efforts have not yielded results due to the difficult terrain and high water current and muddy river.
The Armed Police Force said that relying solely on foreign technology may not be feasible for a country like Nepal with its unique topography. “We cannot expect much from others who are not accustomed to such terrain and river conditions,” the statement read. “The joint effort of all three security agencies continues to make the rescue operations more effective. Efforts are being made to retrieve at least the bodies to provide to the bereaved families.”
The Rising Nepal
