Two Buses Fall into a River in Nepal, Leaving Over 50 Dead

The fall of two buses into a raging river in Nepal, following a landslide, has resulted in over 50 deaths, with continuous rainfall making rescue efforts difficult. Apparently, three survivors swam to safety, but rescuers had not found any trace of the buses by Friday morning, July 22; the buses likely sank and were swept downstream in the Trishuli River. Nepal's rivers generally have strong currents due to the mountainous terrain. Heavy monsoon rains in recent days have caused river waters to rise and become murky, complicating the visibility of the bus wreckage. According to the Associated Press, Ravi Lamichhane, Nepal's interior minister, stated in parliament that 51 passengers are missing and over 500 rescue personnel are engaged in search operations. He mentioned that in the past 24 hours, 17 people have died and three others have been injured due to landslides in various states. On Thursday night, a landslide buried a hut, killing members of a seven-person family near the resort city of Pokhara. The family was asleep when the landslide engulfed their hut and damaged three other nearby houses. The monsoon season from June to September brings heavy rainfall to Nepal, often resulting in landslides in this Himalayan mountainous country.