Force Vehicle and Co-driver Still Missing in Karnali River After 12 Days

Surkhet. Even after 12 days of the accident, the Force vehicle missing in the Karnali River and the condition of its co-driver are still unknown.

Although security agencies have been searching with various technical teams, no information about the vehicle and co-driver has been found.

On Asar 18, at 11:30 AM, a Force vehicle with registration number Ka.Pra. 02–001 Kha 1055, traveling from Surkhet to Kalikot, met with an accident in the Sangetada area of Chamundabindrasaini Municipality–7 in Dailekh, on the Karnali Highway.

The vehicle fell about 400 meters below the highway into the Karnali River. Subsequently, the vehicle submerged in the river, and 4 out of the 5 occupants went missing in the river along with the vehicle.

Jekhe Tiruwa, 54, a resident of Pachhaljharana Rural Municipality–9 in Kalikot, was found stuck on a cliff.

Doctors at Dullu Hospital declared him dead. Similarly, the body of Meghe Tiruwa from Pachhaljharana Rural Municipality–9 in Kalikot, who went missing in the river with the vehicle, was found last Monday in the Sungarkhola area of Kailali.

Similarly, the body of Sirjana, 18, from Raskot Municipality–2 in Kalikot, was found last Tuesday in the Dangdage area of Chaukune Rural Municipality—4 in Western Surkhet.

The body of Tularam Subedi was found 9 days later on the bank of the Karnali River in Jamgada, Turmakhand Rural Municipality–2, Achham.

Although the body of the driver, Subedi, a resident of Majhi Gaun, Panchapuri Municipality–8 in Western Surkhet, has been found, the condition of his brother and co-driver Ramprasad Subedi is still unknown.

Chief District Officer of Dailekh, Anand Saru, told Ratopati that due to continuous rain and rising river flow, the search personnel have also returned.

According to him, currently, apart from some Armed Police and some Nepal Police, the remaining technical teams, Nepali Army, and police personnel have returned.

A team of 6 divers from the Armed Police's Surkhet Brigade, along with a drone camera, was deployed for the search operation from the day of the incident.

After that, a team of 5 people, led by an Assistant Police Inspector from the Disaster Management Training Institute, Kurintar, was mobilized with advanced equipment (sonar camera, magnet).

However, the team has now returned, informed Chief District Officer Saru. "The sonar camera did not work well in the muddy water," he added, "They have returned."

Search operations were also conducted by a Nepali Army helicopter, but no details were found.

The bodies found so far were not discovered by the security personnel and technical teams actively involved in the search. Local residents on the riverbank reported them to the police after seeing them.

"The water flow in the river is increasing day by day, making the search difficult," Saru said, "Due to this, most of the manpower has returned."