The tragic bus accident in Nepal, which claimed the lives of 27 Indian pilgrims from Maharashtra, has cast a sombre shadow over the weekend as authorities work tirelessly to complete post-mortem examinations and prepare the bodies for repatriation.
The accident, which occurred on Friday, saw the bus veering off a highway and plunging into the Marsyangdi River in central Nepal.
The ill-fated group, consisting of 43 passengers, was on a 10-day pilgrimage across Nepal.
The bus, bearing an Uttar Pradesh registration, was en route from Pokhara to Kathmandu when it met with the accident near the Aanboo Khaireni area, approximately 90 kilometres west of Kathmandu.
Sixteen passengers died instantly, while eleven succumbed to their injuries during treatment, according to Nepal's Armed Police Force Deputy Spokesperson, Shailendra Thapa.
Sixteen others were injured and have since been airlifted to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu.
Post-mortem examinations of the deceased are currently underway at Bharatpur Hospital in Chitwan district, Bagmati province, following their transfer from Anbu Khaireni Hospital.
The process is being closely monitored as arrangements are made for the transportation of the bodies back to Maharashtra.
A statement from the Maharashtra state government confirmed that the Indian Air Force will transport the bodies to Nashik later today.
The pilgrims hailed from the districts of Jalgaon, Varangaon, Daryapur, Talvel, and Bhusaval in Maharashtra, some 470 kilometres from Mumbai.
They were part of a larger group of 104 Indian pilgrims who had arrived in Nepal two days earlier in three buses for a religious tour of the Himalayan nation.
The cause of the accident remains unclear, though the bus reportedly plunged 150 metres down a hilly road along the riverbank.
Recovery efforts are ongoing, with the bus set to be lifted from the riverbank with the aid of a crane.7
Follow us
