Ambulance Drivers Honored for Role in Managing Bhote Koshi Flood Victims' Bodies

Chitwan. Ambulance drivers who brought bodies washed away by the Bhote Koshi flood to Chitwan, transported them from the Narayani river bank to Bharatpur Hospital for examination, and then to Devghat for management have been honored. The drivers were honored on the occasion of the fifth general assembly and convention organized here today by the United Ambulance Drivers' Association Nepal (Trade Union Association) District Branch Chitwan. 65 drivers were honored on the occasion. Honoring them, Chief District Officer Ganesh Aryal said that the role played by ambulance drivers in disasters is commendable. He said, “We had to take the lead in picking up the bodies, but the ambulance drivers were ahead and we were behind.” He stated that such work done in disasters should be evaluated by the state. The association's central president Navraj Lamichhane said that the drivers performed tasks such as retrieving bodies from the river, loading them into ambulances, and unloading them. He said, “We carried bodies that had been smelling for three-four days without any discomfort.” He mentioned that some bodies had to be kept in ambulances for a long time due to lack of space. On the occasion, Chief of the District Police Office Chitwan, Superintendent of Police Rameshwar Poudel, said that the role played by the drivers in the disaster is commendable. In the program, Chief Executive Officer of Chitwan Medical College Pratap Devkota, Bharatpur Hospital's Saidip Ghimire, Association's District President Kalyan Lama, Secretary Milan Shrestha, Nepal Blood Donors Association President Arjun Adhikari, among others, expressed their views. Meanwhile, the convention has selected a new 29-member working committee under the chairmanship of Kalyan Lama. During the Bhote Koshi flood, ambulances from Chitwan, Dhading, Nawalparasi, Tanahu, Kaski, and Nuwakot were deployed for body management. 135 ambulances were affiliated with the association in Chitwan. A total of 369 bodies, the highest number, were found in Chitwan due to the Bhote Koshi flood.