Search of missing on flood continues for third day

By Pranish Giri, Kushma (Parbat), Oct.2: The search operation for those who disappeared along with the jeep on Saturday night after being washed away by the swollen Tamadi River is underway.

The Tata Sumo jeep (Ga 1 Ja 6213) heading towards Pokhara from Baglung, got swept away by the flood of the river.

District Police Office, Parbat said that the body of one of the three missing has been recovered, while, a search operation of the two others is underway. Families of the missing are searching along with the Police on the riverbank.

The jeep was washed away by the Tamadi River at the border of Kushma Municipality - 7 and 8 along the Baglung-Pokhara highway on Saturday night. Driver Basanta Bahadur Thapa got out of the jeep after the running jeep was suddenly halted in the strut.

According to the driver, while removing the strut, flood swiftly swept the jeep, while, he moved away to a safe place thereby rescuing him.

Of the three missing passengers in the vehicle, a 34-year-old Gopal Bashyal from Tilottama Municipality -9 was found at the confluence of Modi stream on Saturday midnight.

According to Khum Lal Bhusal, Chief of the Police Office, Parbat, the body of the deceased is handed to the family after the postpartum. The missing have been identified as Dambar Bahadur Thapa, aged 50, and Madhav Poudel, nicknamed Bijay, aged 27 from Tara Khola Rural municipality-3. The search operation for the missing is underway.

Chief Bhusal said that the jeep was found in a poor state 700 meters away at the confluence of Modi Khola.

The driver, Basanat Bahadur Thapa, also the owner, is taken under police control as per the Act.

The joint team of police, armed police forces, and Nepal Army were mobilized to search and rescue the missing persons on Monday as well. Even after an investigation by a team, which came with trained dogs called from the police provincial office, the bodies of the missing were not recovered.