27 Indians killed in Nepal bus accident; PM Modi extends condolences

Kathmandu/New Delhi: A bus carrying 43 Indian tourists veered off a mountain road and plunged down a steep cliff in Tanahun district of Nepal on Friday, killing 27 of them. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed sadness at the accident and extended condolences to the bereaved families.

In a post on X, the PM said:

“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.”

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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.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 23, 2024 >

The bus was en route to Kathmandu from Pokhara, and carried 43 people, all Indian nationals, including the driver and his assistant. While 27 of the passengers are confirmed dead the remaining are undergoing treatment in Kathmandu and a local hospital in Tanahun, media reports said.

The bus, bearing the Indian registration number UP 53 FT 7623, reportedly lost control near Aina Pahara and veered off the road, tumbling 150 meters down a steep cliff before coming to a halt on the bank of river Marsyangdi in Abu Khaireni of Tanahun district.

The top of the bus was completely destroyed during the fall, and the bus was severely damaged when it reached the riverbank. The bus had entered Nepal from the Belahiya checkpoint in Rupandehi district on August 20 with an eight-day route permit, according to police, Himalayan Times reported.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson said in a post on X that the Indian Embassy is extending all possible help in the matter.

“We are deeply pained by the tragic death of 27 Indian nationals in a road accident in Tanahun district of Nepal.

“We convey our deepest condolences. Our Embassy is extending all possible help in the matter. 16 people who were injured in the accident have been airlifted and are presently undergoing treatment in a hospital.

“Embassy has set up emergency helpline numbers for affected families to reach out for assistance. They are in constant touch with local authorities and with affected families and are making arrangement for early transportation of mortal remains to India. Embassy would be giving regular updates on the matter. Embassy helpline numbers (24 x 7) are below: +977-9851107021 +977-9851316807 +977-9749833292 (all numbers on WhatsApp as well)”

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We are deeply pained by the tragic death of 27 Indian nationals in a road accident in Tanahun district of Nepal. We convey our deepest condolences.

Our Embassy is extending all possible help in the matter. 16 people who were injured in the accident have been airlifted and are…

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) August 23, 2024 >

Following the report of the incident, authorities in Nepal immediately deployed a large number of personnel from the Armed Police Force, including 10 divers, Nepal Police, and the Nepali Army, to the accident site.

However, the steep terrain made it difficult for rescuers to reach the crashed bus and carry out the rescue operation. In the initial stages, the rescue personnel had rescued 16 people from the accident site and recovered 14 bodies of the deceased. By 4:25 PM, six more people had been rescued, and five additional bodies were recovered, bringing the death toll to 19 and the number of injured to 22.

However, the toll continued to rise as six of the injured receiving treatment at Abu Khaireni Hospital

succumbed to their injuries, along with one person in Bharatpur Hospital and another at the accident site, bringing the total number of fatalities to 27, with 16 others still injured.

Initially, twelve of the injured were airlifted to Kathmandu's Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital for further treatment, while four others at the Abu Khaireni Hospital were flown later in the evening. This bus accident on the Nepali highways comes on the heels of the July 12 incident, where two passenger buses carrying 51 passengers were swept away by a landslide into the Trishuli River in the Simaltal area along the Narayanghat-Mugling road section in Chitwan district.

DSP Dipak Kumar Raya, spokesperson for the District Police Office in Tanahun, said the accident occurred at around 11:30 am. “The passenger bus fell from Aaina Pahara, Anbu Khaireni-2, into the Marsyangdi River,” DSP Raya said.

The passengers on the ill-fated bus were part of a larger group of 104 Indian pilgrims from Bhusal village in Jalgaon district of India’s Maharashtra State. They had arrived in Nepal two days earlier for a 10-day tour, MyRepublica reported.

The group, traveling in three buses, had reached Pokhara on August 21 and stayed there at Hotel Sports Nepal for two days before heading to Kathmandu on Friday morning. Tragically, one of these buses met with an accident, according to police officials.

Madhav Prasad Paudel, chief of the Armed Police Force (APF) Battalion in Kurintar, said that most of the passengers traveling in the three buses were families and relatives.

Those confirmed dead till Friday evening include 15 females and 11 males, at Anbu Khaireni Hospital. Similarly, one child died at a Chitwan-based hospital, according to Chief District Officer of Tanahun, Janardan Gautam.

Among the survivors, 12 injured passengers were airlifted by a Nepali Army helicopter to Kathmandu later in the afternoon. They are currently receiving treatment at the TU Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj. The army helicopter continued to shuttle between the accident site and Kathmandu to transport the injured and provide medical assistance.