Search and rescue teams have intensified operations in the Karnali river after a vehicle that fell off the Karnali Highway at Sangetada in ward 7 of Chamunda Bindrasaini Municipality of Dailekh district remains unaccounted for.

The accident occurred on Thursday, around 11:30am, when a microbus, travelling to Raskot in Kalikot from Surkhet, veered off the highway and plunged into the river.

Despite search efforts continuing late into Thursday evening, the vehicle was not located, prompting an expanded operation on Friday morning involving divers and security personnel.

Police said one body has been identified. The deceased, Jekhe Tiruwa of Pachal Jharna Rural Municipality-9 in Kalikot, was found stuck on a cliff near the river.

Karnali Province Police Chief Deputy Inspector General Jaya Raj Sapkota said difficult terrain and the submerged condition of the vehicle were hampering rescue efforts.

He said nearly 100 police personnel from district units and nearby posts have been deployed for the operation.

The vehicle, operated by Bulbule Yatayat Pvt Ltd, had departed Surkhet Bus Park at 8am on Thursday with five confirmed passengers. Authorities said additional passengers may have boarded along the route.

A team of seven divers from the Maheshwari Battalion of the Armed Police Force has also been deployed.

Armed Police Force Deputy Inspector General Krishna Raj Pathak, who inspected the site, said muddy water, steep terrain and strong currents were complicating the search.

“The vehicle appears to have rolled four to five times before entering the river,” he said. “Divers can only enter the water with ropes due to the cliff-like terrain, and the depth and flow at the site are extremely challenging.”

He added that search operations have been extended up to 5 to 6 kilometres downstream amid fears the vehicle may have been swept away.

Dailekh Chief District Officer Anand Saru said the vehicle fell around 400 metres below the road and no additional passengers have yet been found.

He said five mobile phones and one citizenship card have been recovered so far, which are being used to help identify other possible passengers.