Mumbai: In a devastating accident, at least 26 tourists from Maharashtra were killed and 14 others injured when their bus plunged into a gorge along the Marsyangdi River in Ambukhereni, Tanahun district, Nepal, on Friday. The bus was transporting 40 Indian passengers, primarily from Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district, from the popular tourist destination of Pokhara to Kathmandu.
According to Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) Director Lahu Mali, the bus fell 150 feet into a river valley, resulting in the tragic loss of life and several serious injuries. The victims’ bodies and the injured will be transported into India through Maharajganj district at the Uttar Pradesh-Nepal border by Saturday afternoon. From Maharajganj, the remains and survivors will be taken by road to Gorakhpur Airport and subsequently flown to Nashik Airport. The final journey will be by road to Jalgaon.
Due to the large number of bodies and injured passengers, commercial flights are not feasible. The Maharashtra government has requested the Indian Air Force (IAF) to arrange a special flight from Gorakhpur to Nashik. The state government will cover all costs associated with this arrangement.
Deputy Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed earlier on Friday that the bus tragedy involved “some devotees from Maharashtra,” and expressed condolences for the loss. The bus, which had 41 passengers from Bhusaval, Talvel, and Varangaon towns in Jalgaon, met with the fatal accident, leaving 26 confirmed dead and around 14 others injured.
Local police, district officials, and Nepal Army authorities conducted extensive rescue and relief operations, which concluded by Friday evening. The Maharashtra government has been in constant communication with the Nepal Embassy in Delhi, and the Jalgaon Collector has coordinated with the Collector of Maharajganj to facilitate assistance at the border.
The tragic incident marks the second major calamity involving residents from Jalgaon abroad within the past three months. On June 4, four medical students from Jalgaon and one from Thane drowned in Russia’s Volkhov River while attempting to rescue a female student in distress.
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