Nepal bus accident: Passengers from Jalgaon, efforts on to bring back victims, says Devendra Fadnavis

Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said that the passengers onboard the bus that fell 150 metres into a river in central Nepal were from Jalgaon district in the state as per preliminary information, and efforts are on to bring them back.

In a post on 'X', Fadnavis condoled the deaths of 14 passengers and said the state government has communicated with the Indian embassy in Nepal.

"The passengers are from Jalgaon. The district collector is in touch with the Maharajganj collector in Uttar Pradesh to bring back the victims and survivors," he said.

At least 14 people were killed and 16 others injured after an Indian tourist bus veered off a highway and fell 150 metres into the Marsyangdi river in central Nepal, authorities said.

The bus from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh was heading towards Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, from the resort town of Pokhara when it drove off the highway in Aaina Pahara in the Tanahun district. There were 43 people, including the driver and the co-driver, in the bus with the registration number UP 53 FT 7623.

Maharashtra Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Anil Patil said the state government is in touch with the relief commissioner of Uttar Pradesh and the Indian embassy in Kathmandu to bring back the victims and survivors of the accident.

Talking to PTI, Patil said, "It is reported that most passengers are from Jalgaon district. We are trying to confirm. We are in touch with the relief commissioner of Uttar Pradesh and the Indian embassy in Nepal and have told them that the district collector will ensure the return of the victims and survivors," he said.

Uttar Pradesh Relief Commissioner GS Naveen Kumar, in a press statement, said, "As per media reports and further confirmed from the MEA Nepal Division, today at about 11.30 am, a bus with registration number - UP 53 FD 7623 carrying approx 41 passengers from Maharashtra, including the driver and one assistant, fell around 150 metres into river Marshyandi in Ambukhereni region in the Tanahu District of Nepal.”

The statement added, "The UP government has sent SDM Maharajganj to the incident site. The MEA is coordinating the search and rescue operations with local authorities." As per MyRepublica, a news portal, the passengers onboard the bus were part of a group of 104 Indian pilgrims who arrived in Nepal from Maharashtra in three buses two days ago for a 10-day tour.