Fifteen bodies have been recovered out of the 65 passengers who went missing after two passenger buses plunged into the Trishuli River following a landslide at Simaltal in Bharatpur metropolis-29, Chitwan. The accident occurred on Friday when a landslide caused the buses to veer off the road and into the river.

The Armed Police Force (APF) has identified eight of the retrieved bodies, which include three Indian nationals: Rhishipal Sah (28) from Sitamani, Bihar; Jaya Prakash Thakur (30) from Betiya Thana, Paschim Champaran; and Sajad Ansari (30) from Betiya Majheiliya. The Nepali victims identified are Bikash Pariyar (22) from Madi-2, Chitwan; Ramit Kushar Majhi (19) from Barhathawa-3, Sarlahi; Sudip BK (23) from Patahani, Bharatpur metropolis-22; Paramananda Pundit (43) from Bishrampur-6, Bara; and Firoj Miya from Rautahat-17. Their relatives have already received the bodies.

Seven bodies remain unidentified. These bodies were retrieved from various locations including Golaghat, Salabas, and Sisawar in Chitwan, and Gaidakot, Bhutaha, and Tribeni Barrage in Nawalpur.

The buses involved in the accident were traveling on different routes. One bus (Bagamati Province 3-006 Kha 1516) was en route from Birgunj to Kathmandu, while the other (Bagamati Province 03-001 Kha 2459) was traveling from Kathmandu to Gaur. There were 38 passengers on the bus bound for Kathmandu and 27 on the bus heading to Gaur, totaling 65 passengers.

Three passengers managed to save their lives by jumping from the bus on the Kathmandu-Gaur route. Jugeshwor Raya Yadav and Saroj Kumar Gupta from Garuda municipality-19, Rautahat, have returned home, while Nandan Das from Dewahi Banahi municipality-10, Rautahat, is currently undergoing medical treatment.