Special IAF plane brings back bodies of 25 pilgrims from Maharashtra killed in Nepal accident

Jalgaon/Kathmandu: A military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday night brought to Maharashtra's Jalgaon the bodies of 25 Indian pilgrims who died in a tragic bus accident in Nepal.

The accident occurred on Friday in Nepal's Tanahun district, around 115 kilometres from Kathmandu.

The pilgrims were among a group of 110 people from several parts of Maharashtra who had gone to Nepal in two buses and one traveller van. Forty-eight of the pilgrims crossed the land border to Maharajganj in Uttar Pradesh along with the bodies of the bus driver and his assistant, who were from the state.

The pilgrims, who hail from Maharashtra, will leave on a train from Gorakhpur for their journey back home, officials said.

"Responding swiftly to a call for crucial humanitarian support, the #IAF deployed a C-130J aircraft to airlift the mortal remains of 25 Indian citizens who tragically lost their lives in a road accident in Nepal," the IAF said in a post on 'X'.

"The mortal remains were transported from Bharatpur (Nepal) to Jalgaon (Maharashtra). The #IAF extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wishes a swift recovery to those injured," it said.

Union minister Raksha Khadse, who was in Kathmandu to oversee the return of the victims and survivors, said on X, "Special arrangements have been made for remaining passengers to travel from Gorakhpur to their hometown. Very much thankful to the Indian Railways for the swift response."

Earlier in the day, Indian Embassy sources said in Kathmandu that Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Khadse and Sanjay Savkare, a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from Bhusawal constituency, arrived in the city.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each deceased in the mishap in Tanahun district, Nepal. The injured would be given Rs 50,000, the PMO announced on X.

The Indian pilgrims were in Nepal for a 10-day tour. One of the buses the pilgrims were travelling in veered off a highway and fell into the fast-flowing Marsyangdi river at Abu Khaireni in Tanahun district, according to local officials.

Sixteen others were also injured in the accident.

Earlier in the day, post-mortem examinations of all 27 Indians were carried out at the Bharatpur Hospital in Chitwan district of the Bagmati province, Home Ministry spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said.

Khadse, who was accompanied by Savkare, along with Nepal's Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, visited the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu and met the 16 injured passengers undergoing treatment there.

"Thanked Hon'ble HM and Govt of Nepal for the prompt and timely assistance provided for the search and rescue operations as also for the treatment of the injured," Khadse posted on X after the hospital visit.

She also expressed appreciation for the Indian embassy in Nepal for providing "necessary assistance and coordination on the ground with Nepalese authorities".

Of the 16 injured, the condition of one is said to be critical, while others are stable, according to hospital sources.

Khadse also expressed gratitude for the effective management by the Nepalese government right from the rescue work to the treatment; praised the doctors for their active role, and thanked the security personnel and everyone involved in the rescue efforts, according to Home Ministry spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai.

Terming the bus accident "tragic", Nepal's Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli condoled the deaths in a post on X: "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 Shri @narendramodi ji."

On Friday, it had taken nearly seven hours for the personnel of the Nepal Police, the Armed Police Force, and the Nepal Army to rescue the injured and pull the dead passengers from the crash site.

The victims were from Varangaon, Daryapur, Talvel and Bhusaval in Jalgaon district, 470 km from Mumbai. The buses from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh were heading towards Kathmandu from Pokhara when one of them met with the accident.