Fifteen-year-old twins Dipesh and Deepika Bhattarai, who were buried to death at Jhyaplekhola in Dhading, were 10th graders at Butwal-based Kalika Manav Gyan Secondary School in Butwal. They were on their way to Kathmandu with their mother to pursue a dream, but that dream perished when the microbus they were travelling in was buried by the landslide.

The Bhattarai siblings were talented students both in academic as well as extra-curricular activities. They had recently filled out an online application to take part in the national astronomy olympiad organised by the Astronomy Olympiad Society, scheduled for October 3 in Kathmandu. They hurried to Kathmandu after they were informed that they were selected for the first round of Olympiad 2024.

The siblings had an aim to qualify for the second round of the Olympiad scheduled to be held in Bangladesh. The winner in Bangladesh will head to the USA for the next round. But fate had other plans. The landslide that struck their microbus (Lu 1 Ja 4578) buried not only the vehicle, but their dreams as well.

The twins, originally from ward 3 of Galyan Municipality in Syangja district, lived with their mother Sita at Kalikanagar in Butwal for studies. Their father currently works in South Korea.

According to Dinesh Thapa, headmaster at Kalika Manav Gyan Secondary School, the twins were excellent students in academic as well as extra-curricular activities. “Four other students from our school have also been selected for the competition and have already reached Kathmandu. They might have rushed to the national capital despite the rains thinking that they were a bit late,” said Thapa, adding, “The school lost two of its brightest students.”

Prakash Kunwar, 37, his wife Anu Malla, 34, and Kunwar’s sister Srijana, 28, of ward 16 of Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City also perished in the same microbus. Prakash had returned home from South Korea just two months ago and tied the nuptial knot with Anu.

The newly married couple visited Prakash’s ancestral village in Gulmi and registered their marriage. Prakash had already booked a ticket to return to South Korea on October 18. Since other family members were in Kathmandu, they had booked tickets for Kathmandu on Friday morning. After her brother and sister-in-law requested her, Srijana also accompanied her brother and sister-in-law. Srijana, a BSc nursing graduate from Bangalore in India, was preparing to go to the UK.

“Srijana went to Kathmandu with brother and sister-in-law and had a plan to appear for a language test there. But the god took them away,” lamented Govinda Kunwar, Prakash’s brother who was heading to Kathmandu to receive bodies.

Juddha Bahadur Rayamajhi, 63, his daughter-in-law Pramita Rayamajhi, 28, and two-year-old grandson Chris Rayamajhi of Gulmi Darbar Rural Municipality in Gulmi were also killed in the same vehicle in Jhyaplekhola. They were heading to Kathmandu to live there with Pramita's husband Bibek, who runs a business.

According to Laxman Karki, an employee at the ticket counter of Paschim Nepal Bus Entrepreneurs’ Company, there were altogether 14 people including the driver in the microbus.

The Jyaplekhola landslide is the deadliest disaster in which at least four vehicles were buried in the wee hours on Saturday. Rescuers have retrieved 35 bodies from the site so far.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Armed Police Force Shailendra Thapa, who is also the joint spokesperson for the Armed Police Force, a Tata Winger van (Lu 1 Ja 4578) from Butwal, a Toyota Hiace (Ba 3 Kha 1345) from Chitwan, a bus (Na 4 Kha 2270) from Gorkha and a bus (Ba 1 Pa 1388) were buried in the Jyaplekhola landslide.

Narayan Khatri, chair of the Gorkha Daraudi Transport Service Pvt Ltd, said the bus from Gorkha had been out of contact since Friday night. Khatri said the bus departed Lapubesi at 7 am on Friday and was last in contact near Khanikhola, Dhading, at approximately 10 pm.

DSP Thapa said the search operation is ongoing, as more vehicles might have been buried in the area.

Earlier on Saturday, 14 bodies were recovered from two vehicles buried in the debris. Around half a dozen vehicles were caught in the landslide, which blocked the key entry point into the capital city of Kathmandu.

Rain-induced disasters leave 170 dead, 42 still missing across Nepal

The death toll from floods and landslides, induced by the incessant rain that started Thursday, has risen to 170, with 42 people still missing. The devastating weather has wreaked havoc across several provinces, with Kathmandu Valley bearing the brunt of the destruction.

According to Deputy Inspector General of the Armed Police Force, Kumar Neupane, 52 people have lost their lives in the Kathmandu Valley alone, while Koshi Province has reported 16 deaths and Bagmati Province has recorded 102 fatalities. Five people died in the water-induced disaster in Madhesh Province. The heavy downpours have left many people injured, while more than 3,661 people have been rescued by teams from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and the Nepali Army.

In addition to loss of lives, the infrastructure damage is extensive. More than 3,299 houses have been destroyed and 14 bridges have been damaged across the nation, cutting off critical transportation routes.

Rescue operations, including helicopter evacuations, are ongoing as authorities work to locate the missing and provide aid to those affected by the disaster. However, major roadblocks and continued rainfall are hindering efforts on the ground.

Bagmati Province worst hit

A total 102 people were killed in water-induced disasters in various districts of Bagmati Province excluding three districts of Kathmandu Valley. According to Bagmati Province Police Office in Hetauda, 39 people died in Dhading, 38 in Kavrepalanchok, 10 in Sindhupalchok, seven in Makawanpur, five in Dolakha, two in Sindhuli and one in Ramechhap during the floods and landslides on Friday and Saturday.

A total of 22 others went missing in the disasters. Police said 74 people were injured in Bagmati Province. According to the Bagmati Province Police Office, 36 houses in Makawanpur, 23 houses in Kavrepalanchok and 20 houses in Ramechhap were destroyed or damaged in the disasters.

Similarly, floods and landslides killed 52 people in the Kathmandu Valley—30 people died in Lalitpur, 17 in Kathmandu and five in Bhaktapur.

(With inputs from our local correspondents)