Over 60 people are missing in central Nepal after two buses were swept away from a highway and down into a river during a landslide on Friday afternoon local time, according to the authorities.
At least 66 people were on the buses. Three are reported to have managed to jump off the bus and swim to shore. They are being treated in hospital.
We are not sure of the total number as the buses may have picked up others along the way, says Khimananda Bhusal at the local authorities in the Chitwan district.
Rescue personnel are searching for survivors after the accident, which occurred along the highway between the cities of Narayanghat and Mugling, about ten miles west of the capital Kathmandu. However, the rescue efforts are being hampered by continued rain and landslides blocking roads to the area.
The monsoon season brings heavy rainfall to Nepal from June to September, which often triggers landslides.
