Mumbai/Jalgaon: The post-mortem of the 27 Indian pilgrims who were killed in the tragic bus accident in Nepal was underway in a hospital in the Bagmati province on Saturday, a senior official said, ahead of the transportation of the bodies to Maharashtra.
At least 27 Indian pilgrims, all from Maharashtra, who were in Nepal for a 10-day tour, were killed and 16 others injured after their bus veered off the highway and fell into a fast-flowing river in central Nepal on Friday.
The post-mortem of bodies is being held in the Bharatpur Hospital in the Chitwan district of the Bagmati province, Home Ministry spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said. The bodies will be handed over to the families as soon as the process is completed.
An Indian Air Force plane will transport the bodies to Nashik today, a Maharastra state government release said on Friday in Mumbai. According to sources close to the Indian embassy, an aircraft from India landed at Bharatpur in the morning to transport the bodies.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Nikhil Khadse arrived in Kathmandu to oversee the return of the victims and survivors. Khadse, along with Nepal's Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak visited the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital at Maharajgunj, Kathmandu and met the injured passengers undergoing treatment there.
They discussed the treatment process with the doctors at the hospital and took stock of the situation there. "Met 16 Indian nationals who were injured in the road accident yesterday and currently undergoing treatment at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital along with Hon'ble Home Minister of Nepal Mr Ramesh Lekhak," Khadse said in a post on X.
"Thanked Hon'ble HM and Govt of Nepal for the prompt & timely assistance provided for the search & rescue operations as also for the treatment of the injured," she said. She also expressed appreciation for the Indian embassy in Nepal for providing "necessary assistance and coordination on the ground with Nepalese authorities".
"Discussion on rescue operation & further course of action at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu with Indian Ambassador Shri Naveen Srivastava and Joint Secretary of Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Nepal, Shri Brighu Dhungana," Khadse said in a post on X upon her arrival. She also shared a detailed list of the 16 people injured, the majority of whom sustained "serious" injuries. Ten of those injured were females, while the remaining six were males.
The condition of one of the passengers is said to be critical, while others are stable, according to hospital sources. One passenger, named Rekha Prakash, is admitted to the intensive care unit with serious injuries, while 13 passengers are undergoing treatment at the general ward and one passenger is receiving treatment at a private cabin of the hospital. Another passenger is being admitted to the emergency of the Manmohan Cardiac Centre of the hospital.
"As tourists coming from India on a bus met with an accident, some people have lost their lives while the lives of some others could be saved with the hard work and dedication of our security personnel including from the Nepal Army, the Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force, who got involved in the rescue works soon after the incident," Home Minister Lekhak told journalists after inspecting the hospital ward where the Indian nationals are receiving treatment.
"The condition of one or two passengers is critical but others' condition is stable and improving," said the minister. Responding to a question whether they will receive full treatment at the hospital or will be referred to India for further treatment he said, it will be decided after consulting with the doctors.
Senior doctor Dinesh Kafely is monitoring the treatment of the Indian nationals, who were injured in the Aanbu Khaireni bus accident. Calling the bus accident "tragic", Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli condoled the deaths in a post on X.
"Deeply saddened by the tragic bus accident in Abu Khaireni, Tanahun, which claimed the lives of 27 Indian citizens travelling from Pokhara to Kathmandu. My heartfelt tributes to the victims and condolences to their families, including Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji," Oli said. The Indian embassy in Nepal Emergency shared relief numbers on Friday.
"@IndiainNepal remains available 24x7 at the following emergency relief numbers accessible on WhatsApp:+977-9851107021 +977-9851316807 +977-9749833292," it said in a post on X. According to the police, the bus from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh carrying 43 passengers, including the driver and two helpers, was heading towards Kathmandu from Pokhara when it met with the accident at Aanboo Khaireni area along the Marsyangdi River in Tanahun district around noon.
It took nearly seven hours for the personnel of the Nepal Police, the Armed Police Force, and the Nepal Army to rescue the injured and pull dead passengers from the crash site, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported. While 16 people died on the spot, 11 succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment, Deputy Spokesperson of Nepal's Armed Police Force (APF) Shailendra Thapa told PTI.
The reason for the accident is not yet known. The accident site lies on the national highway, some 90 km west of Kathmandu. The bus, with an Uttar Pradesh number plate, fell around 150 metres down the hilly road along the bank of Marsyangdi river and will be lifted with the help of a crane.
According to a report in the news portal, the passengers onboard the bus were part of a group of 104 Indian pilgrims who arrived in Nepal from Maharashtra in three buses two days ago for a tour of the Himalayan nation. The victims were from Varangaon, Daryapur, Talvel and Bhusaval in Jalgaon district, 470 km from Mumbai, officials said.
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