Gajuri bus plunge: Dead bodies of 19 passengers recovered

Malekhu, Dhading - Bodies of 19 passengers who had gone missing when a passenger bus heading to Kathmandu from Rajbiraj plunged into Trishuli River have been recovered, the police said. 

Of the dead (12 men and seven women), two have been identified as six-year-old Aaditya Yadav of Saptari and Indian national Mamata Devi Thakur. 

Fifteen passengers were rescued alive while 20 others are still reported to be missing, said Inspector of Nepal Police Krishna Prasad Sapkota. Rescue operations are going on with the help of security personnel, he added. 

The bus (Na 6 Kha1467) was carrying 55 passengers beyond capacity, the police said. The overcrowded bus plunged at around 5:00 am from the turning point at Ghatbesi in Gajuri Rural Municipality along the Prithvi Highway in Dhading district.