
Maharashtra CM condoles loss of lives; bodies to be brought back in IAF plane
The tragic bus accident in Tanahun district, Nepal, has claimed 41 lives, Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan confirmed during a press conference in Mumbai on Saturday.
The bus, primarily carrying Indian tourists from Maharashtra, plunged into a gorge of the Marsyangdi River in the Ambukhereni area of Tanahun district on Friday. The accident has resulted in significant loss of life and injuries.
The bus with passengers mostly from Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district, was plying from the mountainous tourist resort of Pokhara to the Nepal capital Kathmandu when it fell 150 feet into a river valley.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde consoled the loss of lives in the bus accident and spoke to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on bringing back the bodies.
The Chief Minister’s office in a statement said that the Home Minister responded quickly to the CM’s request and accordingly, the bodies will be brought back to Nashik on Saturday in an Indian Air Force (IAF) plane.
Major rescue and relief operations were carried out by the local police, district, and Nepal Army authorities.
Some government officials from the Maharajganj Collectorate had proceeded to the India-Nepal border to render help, as the bus had a Uttar Pradesh registration number, though exact details were not available.
Minister Mahajan reported that the Maharashtra government is actively coordinating with both the Nepal administration and the Nepal Embassy in Delhi to facilitate relief efforts. The state government is working to provide support and assistance to the affected families and ensure effective communication with Nepalese authorities.
Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) Director Lahu Mali said that the bodies of the victims and the injured persons will enter India from the Maharajganj district of the Uttar Pradesh-Nepal border on Saturday afternoon.
From there they will be taken to Gorakhpur Airport by road, a distance of around 4 hours, and arrangements are being made for the onward journey to Nashik Airport, and then by road to Jalgaon.
The special flight is likely to fly from Gorakhpur to Nashik – the nearest airport to Jalgaon – and the state government will bear all the expenses for the same.
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