Prime Minister Modi offers help to victims of tragic bus crash in Nepal after at least 27 Indians died in the accident

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Saturday that an ex-gratia payment of Rs 200,000 would be made to the next of kin of all victims of Friday's bus accident in Nepal.

At least 27 Indian pilgrims who were on a tour of the Himalayan state were killed on Friday when their bus veered off the highway and plunged into the raging river in the Tanahun district of the Himalayan state.

“The Prime Minister has announced an ex-gratia donation of Rs 200,000 from the PMNRF for the next of kin of all those who died in the accident in Tanahun district of Nepal. The injured will receive Rs 50,000,” said a post from the Prime Minister's Office on X.

“Terrifying sight”

An eyewitness who arrived at the scene described the aftermath of the bus crash as deeply distressing after the bus carrying nearly 41 Indian pilgrims plunged into the Marsyangdi river. “We arrived within 5 to 7 minutes of the accident and were met with a horrific sight,” tourism entrepreneur Arjun Khanal was quoted as saying by The Kathmandu Post.

“The bus had fallen about 150 metres down the road and the passengers were desperately screaming for help. We saw three injured people trying to escape through the bus windows,” Khanal said. “People were screaming for help but it was extremely difficult to get them onto the road,” he added.

“Deeply saddened”

In a post on X, Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli expressed his grief over the loss of life. He also expressed his condolences to Prime Minister Modi. “I am deeply saddened by the tragic bus accident in Abu Khaireni, Tanahun, in which 27 Indian nationals lost their lives while travelling from Pokhara to Kathmandu. My deepest condolences go out to the victims and their families, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.

All 41 passengers and two crew members were Indian nationals and had travelled to Kathmandu from the tourist city of Pokhara. Rescue workers rescued several people from the floodwaters of the Marsyangdi river in Tanahun district, about 118 km from the country's capital.

“Sad about the loss”

On Friday, Prime Minister Modi expressed his grief over the loss of lives in a road accident in Nepal. Modi said on X: “I am saddened by the loss of lives due to a road accident in Tanahun district of Nepal. My condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover as soon as possible. The Indian Embassy is extending all possible support to the affected people.”

The postmortem of the Indian pilgrims who died in the tragic bus accident was conducted at a hospital in Bagmati province on Saturday before the bodies are sent to Maharashtra. The postmortem of the bodies is being conducted at Bharatpur Hospital in Chitwan district of Bagmati province, news portal MyRepublica reported.

Aircraft of the Luftwaffe

The bus, carrying mostly Indian tourists from Maharashtra, plunged into a gorge on the Marsyangdi river in the Ambukhereni area of ​​Nepal's Tanahun district on Friday. The passengers, mostly from Maharashtra's Jalgaon district, were on their way from the mountainous tourist town of Pokhara to the Nepali capital Kathmandu when the bus plunged 150 feet into a river valley.

An Indian Air Force aircraft will transport the bodies to Nashik today, the Maharastra state government said in a press release in Mumbai on Friday. The Indian government flew Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Khadse to Kathmandu on Saturday to meet the passengers of the bus accident in Nepal that occurred on Friday and to oversee the repatriation of the remains of those killed in the accident.

Considering the logistical challenges of transporting several bodies and injured persons by commercial flight, the Maharashtra government has asked the Indian Air Force (IAF) to arrange a special flight. This flight is expected to be from Gorakhpur to Nashik, the nearest airport to Jalgaon. The state government will bear all the expenses of this operation.

(With agency contributions)