Nepalese rescue teams resumed the search Saturday morning for at least 63 people missing after a landslide triggered by monsoon rains swept two buses off a highway and into a river.
A landslide in central Chitwan district on Friday caused vehicles to fly through concrete barriers and fall at least 30 metres (100 feet) off the road and onto a steep cliff.
Dozens of rescuers struggled for hours in the swollen Trishuli river, hampered by muddy waters and strong currents, before they were forced to abandon the search after sunset.
There is no trace of the vehicles or the people travelling in them yet.
“We will search all possible places,” Chitwan district chief Indra Dev Yadav told AFP.
“We will be using all of our capabilities to conduct search and rescue, regardless of water levels, currents and turbidity of the water.”
District official Khimanand Bhusal told AFP on Friday that at least 66 people were on board the buses but three passengers managed to escape and were treated at a local hospital.
The accident occurred before dawn on the Narayanghat-Mugling highway, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of Kathmandu.
One bus was going from the capital to Gaur in Rautahat district of southern Nepal, and the other bus was going from southern Birgunj to Kathmandu.
In another accident on the same road, a driver was killed when a rock fell on his bus. He died while undergoing treatment in the hospital.
Fatal accidents are common in the Himalayan republic due to poorly constructed roads, poorly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.
Nearly 2,400 people lost their lives on Nepal’s roads in the 12 months to April, according to government data.
An accident in January killed 12 people and injured 24 when a bus travelling from Nepalganj to Kathmandu fell into a river.
Road travel becomes more deadly during the annual monsoon season, as rains cause landslides and flooding across the hill country.
Monsoon rains across South Asia from June to September bring respite from the heat and are vital for restoring water supplies, but they also bring widespread death and destruction.
Rainfall is difficult to predict and varies widely, but scientists say monsoons are becoming stronger and more erratic because of climate change.
According to police data, 88 people have died across the country in floods, landslides and lightning since the onset of monsoon in June.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
