The post-mortem examinations of 27 Indian pilgrims who tragically lost their lives in a bus accident in Nepal are currently being conducted at a hospital in Bagmati province. This process is being carried out ahead of the planned transportation of the bodies back to Maharashtra, India.
The accident occurred on Friday when a bus carrying Indian pilgrims from Maharashtra veered off the highway and plunged into a fast-flowing river in central Nepal. The bus was part of a group that had embarked on a 10-day pilgrimage tour in the Himalayan nation. The incident resulted in the deaths of 27 pilgrims and left 16 others injured.
Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, a spokesperson for Nepal’s Home Ministry, confirmed that the autopsies are taking place at Bharatpur Hospital in the Chitwan district. Once the post-mortem examinations are completed, the bodies will be handed over to the families.
A Maharashtra state government release stated that the Indian Air Force is set to transport the bodies to Nashik later today. Sources close to the Indian embassy mentioned that an aircraft from India has already arrived at Bharatpur to facilitate the transportation.
In the wake of the tragic event, Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Raksha Nikhil Khadse, arrived in Kathmandu to oversee the arrangements for returning the victims and the survivors to India. Alongside Nepal’s Home Minister, Ramesh Lekhak, Khadse visited the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, where the injured are receiving medical care.
Khadse expressed her gratitude to the Government of Nepal and its Home Minister for their prompt response and assistance in the search and rescue operations. She also thanked the Indian embassy in Nepal for providing necessary support and coordinating with Nepalese authorities on the ground.
During her visit, Khadse shared a detailed list of the 16 injured passengers, noting that most sustained serious injuries. Among them, ten are female, and six are male. One passenger, identified as Rekha Prakash, remains in critical condition and is receiving treatment in the intensive care unit, while others are being treated in the general ward and a private cabin of the hospital. Additionally, another passenger is in the emergency unit of the Manmohan Cardiac Centre.
Nepal’s Home Minister, Ramesh Lekhak, acknowledged the efforts of the rescue teams, including the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, and the Armed Police Force, who were instrumental in saving lives and retrieving the victims from the accident site. He mentioned that while the condition of a few passengers remains critical, others are stable and showing signs of improvement. He also stated that any decision regarding further treatment in India would be taken after consulting with the medical team.
Senior physician Dr. Dinesh Kafely is leading the medical team treating the injured Indian nationals. The bus accident, described as “tragic” by Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, has prompted widespread condolences. Prime Minister Oli expressed his deep sorrow over the loss of 27 Indian citizens travelling from Pokhara to Kathmandu and extended his heartfelt condolences to their families.
The Indian embassy in Nepal has activated emergency relief numbers to assist the affected families and remains available around the clock for support.
According to reports, the bus involved in the accident was travelling from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, India, towards Kathmandu. It lost control and fell approximately 150 meters down a hillside along the Marsyangdi River in the Tanahun district. Rescue operations, which lasted nearly seven hours, involved personnel from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Army.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, and authorities have not yet determined what led to the bus veering off the road. The accident site is located about 90 kilometres west of Kathmandu on a national highway.
Reports indicate that the pilgrims on board were part of a group of 104 Indian nationals who had arrived in Nepal from Maharashtra two days earlier for a tour. The victims hailed from various locations in Maharashtra, including Varangaon, Daryapur, Talvel, and Bhusaval in Jalgaon district.
The tragedy has brought attention to road safety and emergency response measures in the region, as both Indian and Nepalese authorities continue to work together in managing the aftermath of this heartbreaking accident.
