Kathmandu: At least 17 Indian pilgrims were killed and 28 others injured on Wednesday morning when a bus plunged into a river while negotiating a sharp bend along a downhill section of the Prithvi Highway in Nepal, police said.
According to Superintendent of Police Narayan Singh Khadka, the accident took place at 6.40am when the bus carrying 45 Indian pilgrims from Gujarat skidded off the Prithvi Highway, rolled down 200 metres and plunged into Jhyapre river in Dhading district, some 50km west of Kathmandu.
Members of the same pilgrim party, travelling in another bus that left Kathmandu for India at the same time, were safe, the officer said.
Khadka said 14 people died on the spot while three others succumbed in hospital.
The 45 Indian pilgrims aboard the bus were returning to Gorakhpur in India after visiting the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu.
The injured were taken to various hospitals in Kathmandu, including the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH), Vayodha Hospital, Shahid Memorial Hospital and Norvic Hospital.
Personnel of the army, police and armed police along with local residents carried out the rescue work at the accident site.
The Armed Police Force of Nepal said 14 of the 17 killed in the accident belonged to Surendranagar village in Gujarat.
Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae the various hospitals to meet the injured pilgrims, the embassy said in a statement.
“Latest position on bus accident on Wednesday — 17 dead, 27 injured, five critical and one missing. Our consular team is on the spot. We are sending injured to different hospitals for treatment,” the embassy said.
It further added that the bus, carrying 45 Indians, was an India-registered vehicle, operated by Shri Hari Tours & Travels of Gujarat state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of the 17 pilgrims in Nepal.
“Very sad news from Nepal. My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives in the bus accident,” Modi said in a statement in New Delhi.
The Indian embassy said that another Indian bus with 37 passengers on board was safe.
The two tourist buses left Kathmandu at the same time heading towards India via Gorakhpur after the pilgrims had offered prayers at the famed Pashupati Nath Temple in Kathmandu.
The two buses, carrying a total of 90 pilgrims from Gujarat, reached Kathmandu on Tuesday evening.
