PM Modi Offers Aid For Nepal Bus Crash Victims After Tragic Accident Kills At Least 27

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Saturday that an ex-gratia payment of Rs. 2 lakh will be provided to the next of kin of each deceased in Friday’s bus accident in Nepal.

At least 27 Indian pilgrims, who were in the Himalayan nation for a tour, were killed on Friday when their bus veered off the highway and plunged into the fast-flowing river in the Himalayan nation’s Tanahun district.

“The Prime Minister has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased in the mishap in Tanahun district, Nepal. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a post on X.

‘Horrifying sight’

An eyewitness who arrived at the scene of the bus crash described the aftermath 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 incident and were met with a horrifying sight,” tourism entrepreneur Arjun Khanal was quoted as saying by The Kathmandu Post.

“The bus had plunged around 150 meters down the road, and passengers were desperately screaming for help. We saw three injured individuals attempting to escape through the bus windows,” Khanal said. “People were crying out for help, but the effort to bring them up to the road was extremely difficult,” he added.

‘Deeply saddened’

In a post on X, Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli expressed grief over the loss of lives. He also extended his sympathies to PM Modi. “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 Narendra Modi,” he said.

All 41 passengers and two crew members were Indian and had been traveling from the tourist city of Pokhara to Kathmandu. Rescuers recovered several people from the swollen waters of the Marsyangdi River in the Tanahun district, about 118 km from the country’s capital.

‘Saddened by the loss’

On Friday, PM Modi expressed grief at the loss of lives in a road accident in Nepal. Modi said on X, “Saddened by the loss of lives due to a road mishap in Tanahun district, Nepal. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest. The Indian Embassy is providing all possible assistance to those affected.”

The post-mortem of the Indian pilgrims who were killed in the tragic bus accident was underway in a hospital in the Bagmati province on Saturday, ahead of the transportation of the bodies to Maharashtra. The post-mortem of bodies is being held in the Bharatpur Hospital in the Chitwan district of the Bagmati province, the MyRepublica news portal reported.

Air Force plane

The bus carrying mostly Indian tourists hailing from Maharashtra plunged into a gorge of the Marsyangdi river in the Ambukhereni area of Tanahun district of Nepal on Friday. The passengers mostly from Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district, were plying from the mountainous tourist resort of Pokhara to the Nepal capital Kathmandu when it fell 150 feet into a river valley.

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

Given the logistical challenges of transporting multiple bodies and injured individuals on a commercial flight, the Maharashtra government has requested the Indian Air Force (IAF) to arrange a special flight. This flight is likely to fly from Gorakhpur to Nashik which is the nearest airport to Jalgaon – and the state government will bear all the expenses for this operation.

(With agency inputs)