Jalgaon: At least 27 pilgrims from the Jalgaon district were killed, while 16 others were injured on Friday after the tourist bus they were travelling in veered off the highway and fell into the Marsyangdi river in Nepal.
District Administration Confirms The Mishap
The district administration confirmed that the mishap took place, after which the BJP officials from Bhusawal City, where many victims lived, immediately left for the neighbouring country. Among the deceased were the residents of Warangaon, Talvel, Achegaon and Pimpalgaon areas of Bhusawal taluka. They had visited Ayodhya and other places in Uttar Pradesh before boarding the ill-fated Kesarwani Travels bus – UP 53 FT 7623 – from Gorakhpur to Nepal. It plunged into the river in Tanhoon district, while going from Pokhara to Kathmandu. There were 43 passengers, including drivers and cleaners.
On Friday afternoon, Jalgaon Collector Ayush Prasad said 39 people were evacuated. While 12 of them were sent to Kathmandu for treatment, nine were admitted to local hospitals. As soon as the accident news broke, the state government contacted the Centre, asking it to reach out to Nepal.
Rural Development Minister Girish Mahajan was constantly in touch with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The CM contacted Union home minister Amit Shah to expedite the process of bringing back the bodies to Maharashtra. In response to the request, a special Air Force aircraft will transport the bodies from Nepal to Nashik. From there, they will be handed over to their families.
In a letter to the Centre, Lahu Mali, the state disaster management director, said that the state government will bear the expenses of the flight from Gorakhpur to Nashik, the letter said.
Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis Expresses His Condolences
In a condolence message on X, Fadnavis said, “The (Jalgaon) district collector is in touch with the Maharajganj collector in Uttar Pradesh to bring back the victims and survivors.” State relief and rehabilitation minister Anil Patil said the government was in touch with the relief commissioner of Uttar Pradesh and the Indian embassy in Kathmandu.
