Mumbai/Jalgaon: An Indian Air Force plane will bring back the bodies of pilgrims from Maharashtra who died in a bus accident in Nepal to Nashik on Saturday, officials said. At least 27 people from Maharashtra were killed when an Indian tourist bus overturned off a highway and fell 150 metre down into the fast-flowing Marsyangdi river in central Nepal on Friday. Officials said those who lost their lives in the accident belonged to Varangaon, Dariyapur, Talvel and Bhusaval in Jalgaon district, 470 km from Mumbai.
He said that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has spoken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and he has assured all possible help. The state government said in a release late Friday evening that an Indian Air Force plane will reach Nashik on Saturday with the bodies. The incident took place in Anbu Khaireni area in Nepal’s Chitwan district. The bus was from Gorakhpur and had 43 passengers, including the driver and two helpers. The bus was going from Pokhara to Kathmandu.
Armed Police Force (APF) deputy spokesperson Shailendra Thapa told PTI in Kathmandu that 16 people died on the spot while 11 died during treatment. He said 16 injured were airlifted to Kathmandu and admitted to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. The passengers on the bus were part of a group of 104 Indian pilgrims who arrived in Nepal from Maharashtra two days ago in three buses for a 10-day visit to the Himalayan country.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis condoled the death of the passengers in a message on ‘X’. State Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Anil Patil said the state government is in touch with the Uttar Pradesh Relief Commissioner and the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu. Senior Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader and former Maharashtra minister Eknath Khadse said the group of pilgrims had gone to Ayodhya four days ago. Khadse, who hails from Jalgaon, told PTI that he met the families of the deceased and injured after learning about the accident. He said his daughter-in-law and Union Minister Raksha Khadse would visit Kathmandu.
He has received permission from the Prime Minister’s Office to travel to Kathmandu to monitor the operation to retrieve bodies and injured people. The Maharashtra government has identified the 16 deceased from Jalgaon as Ramjeet alias Munna, Sarla Rane (42), Bharti Javde (62), Tulsiram Tawde (62), Sarla Tawde (62), Sandeep Sarode (45), Pallavi Sarode (43), Anoop Sarode (22), Ganesh Bharambe (40), Nilima Dhande (57), Pankaj Bhangde (45), Pari Bharambe (8), Anita Patil, Vijay Jhawde (50), Rohini Jhawde (51) and Prakash Kodi.
