25 bodies recovered from Jhyaple Khola, search for others intensifies

KATHMANDU: As of 11 AM today, 25 bodies have been recovered from a landslide at Jhyaple Khola, located on the border between Dhadhing and Kathmandu.

Rescue teams, who had recovered 14 bodies by Saturday night, discovered 11 more today.

On Saturday night, the rescue team retrieved the bodies of one child, five women, and eight men.

This morning, they recovered nine men and two women, according to Prahlad Silwal, Police Inspector and Information Officer at the District Police Office.

Due to the severely damaged vehicles and the scattered remains, identifying which body belongs to which vehicle has been challenging.

Silwal also mentioned that identifying the vehicles is difficult, as most have been found in pieces. However, one vehicle, a bus with license plate number Na 4 Kha 2270, traveling from Gorkha to Kathmandu, has been confirmed. Transport entrepreneur Arjun Bhatt confirmed the identification after the body of the driver, Madan Pariyar, was found beneath the bus’ roof by an excavator.

Initially, it was believed that only four people were aboard the bus, including three crew members and one passenger. However, the bus may have picked up additional passengers en route, suggesting that there could be more victims.

A microbus (Jumbo Hiace) traveling from Chitwan’s Pulchowk to Kathmandu was also buried in the landslide. The exact number of passengers onboard remains unclear, leading to fears that more bodies may still be discovered.

Furthermore, a bus (Ba 2 Kha 1345) operated by Manakamana Mai Yatayat has been missing since around 2 PM on Friday, according to the company’s chairman, Nar Bahadur Rana.