Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced a financial aid of Rs 5 lakh for the families of those from Jalgaon who lost their lives in a tragic bus accident in Nepal on Friday. The accident, which occurred in western Nepal, claimed 27 lives.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief over the incident and confirmed that the Indian government promptly contacted Nepalese authorities.
“I would like to express my grief over the Nepal bus accident. Among those who lost their lives, several were from Jalgaon. I offer my condolences to all the bereaved families,” PM Modi said during his address at the Lakhpati Didi Sammelan in Jalgaon on Sunday.
He assured that the injured were receiving proper medical treatment. “As soon as this accident occurred, the government immediately reached out to the Nepalese authorities. We instructed our minister, Raksha Khadse, to go to Nepal without delay. We have brought back the bodies of our deceased citizens on a special Air Force plane,” Prime Minister Modi added.
The PM also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the families of those who died in the mishap. Those injured in the accident will receive Rs 50,000, according to a post from the PMO.
The Indian Air Force’s C-130 J aircraft, carrying the mortal remains of 25 Indian pilgrims, landed at Jalgaon Airport in Maharashtra on Saturday. The aircraft had flown to Bharatpur city in Chitwan district, near where the accident occurred.
A total of 27 people were killed when the bus veered off the road and fell into a river basin. Autopsies were performed at Bharatpur Hospital before the bodies were transported to India. Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Raksha Nikhil Khadse, and Maharashtra legislator Sanjay Shubhakar arrived in Nepal on Saturday morning to check on the health of the injured.
Both officials returned on the same aircraft. Khadse met with all 16 injured individuals undergoing treatment at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu and received updates on their condition.
Khadse thanked the Nepalese government for their assistance in the search and rescue operations and for the treatment provided to the injured. She also expressed appreciation for the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu for their coordination efforts with Nepalese authorities.
The bus was en route to Kathmandu from Pokhara when it skidded off the road and fell approximately 150 meters into the river at Ainapahara in ward 2 of the rural municipality on Friday.
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