Jyamireghat, March 12:

With 16 bodies of the passengers, the ill-fated bus that plunged into the Trishuli River last Tuesday has been taken out of the river today.

Local people, divers, and police had helped the rescue effort and was taken out six days after the accident.

After the dead bodies of 16 passengers were found today, the death toll has now reached 26.

Among 16 dead passengers, the dead bodies of Mohan Kumar Dahal, Jeevan Pal, Kalpana Chhetri, Pradip Bhandari, Yagya Bhandari, Bijaya Subba, Kunti Gadtaula, Anil Thapa and his mother Hari Priya Thapa, Ratan Agrawal, Dorje Lama, Manoranjan Pal, Nizam Uddin, Birendra Mandal have been identified.

However, nobody has, yet, claimed the bodies of three Indian citizens (two female and one male), one child without name and address and a Nepali woman. Their bodies have been kept in Primary Health Post at Gajuri. A dozen people including

bus driver Krisha Bahadur Moktan, passengers Dipesh Ghimire, Jeevan Rajbanshi are still missing. The dead bodies which have been claimed by relatives have been handed over after post mortem, the police said.