27 Pilgrims and Bus Driver from Dhading Missing After Devastating Flood; Village in Silence

Twenty-seven pilgrims from Dhading and a bus driver have been missing since Wednesday following a severe flood during the Gosainkunda pilgrimage in Rasuwa. Prior to losing contact, driver Chhabilal Shrestha informed his family that “the flood swept the bus away, and we are stranded on the roof.” Relatives in Salbote and Gairi Tole are actively engaged in search and rescue efforts, but no reliable information has emerged so far. (September 11, Dhading)

The group, all from the same area in Dhading, went missing after a powerful flood struck during their pilgrimage to Gosainkunda in Rasuwa. Since Wednesday morning, a deep silence has engulfed Salbote in Nilkantha Municipality Ward 9 and Gairi Tole in Ward 12, due to the missing pilgrims. The bus with license number Ba 5 Kha 1250, carrying pilgrims from Dhadingbesi towards Rasuwa, lost contact after reaching Betrawati in Nuwakot.

According to family sources, the bus was confirmed to have arrived at Betrawati around 9:15 AM Wednesday. Subsequently, a massive flood originating from the Tibetan area into the Bhote Koshi River caused destruction of roads, bridges, and communication lines, leaving the pilgrims unreachable. In the last phone call, passenger Prakash Lamsal reported, “The flood swept the vehicle away, and we are on the roof of a house,” but the call disconnected shortly thereafter.

Local resident Prakash Khanal stated that all available resources and networks are being utilized for search and rescue operations. “No trustworthy information has been received yet,” he said. The missing pilgrims include Chhabilal Shrestha (bus driver), Dayaram Lamsal, Sita Lamsal, Thakur Lamsal, Sharda Lamsal, Prakash Lamsal, Indira Lamsal from Nilkantha Municipality Ward 12; Ram Lamsal, Januka Lamsal, Krishnaprasad Khanal, Radhika Khanal, Ramchandra Khanal, Bhagwati Khanal, Shivahari Lamsal, Gayatri Lamsal, Narayanprasad Lamsal, Sita Lamsal, Rajan Lamsal, Nyauri Lamsal from Nilkantha Municipality Ward 9; Hariprasad Silwal and Binda Silwal from Siddhalekh Rural Municipality Ward 1; Ghanshyam Bhatt and Kalpana Bhatt; and Sita Tiwari, Tulsi Timalsina, and Ishwari Timalsina from Nilkantha Municipality Ward 3.