A horrifying bus accident in Nepal has claimed the lives of 27 Indian nationals, all from Maharashtra, and left 16 others injured. The bus, carrying pilgrims on a 10-day tour, veered off the highway and plunged into the fast-flowing Marsyangdi River in the Aanboo Kaireni area of Nepal’s Tanahun district on August 23rd.
An eyewitness, Arjun Khanal, a tourism entrepreneur, described the scene as terrifying. He and others rushed to the accident site, but the bus had fallen 150 meters down a steep embankment, making rescue efforts extremely difficult. “We arrived within 5 to 7 minutes and saw people screaming for help,” Khanal told The Kathmandu Post. “Three injured passengers were trying to escape through the bus windows.”
The difficult terrain made the rescue operation challenging, with Khanal describing the desperate cries for help from those trapped in the wreckage.
Following the tragedy, India’s Union Minister Raksha Khadse traveled to Nepal to oversee the return of the victims and survivors. She shared a detailed list of the 16 injured, many of whom sustained serious injuries. Ten of the injured were women, and six were men.
The bus, originating from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, was carrying 43 passengers, including the driver and two helpers, and was heading towards Kathmandu from Pokhara when the accident occurred around noon. According to Gorakhpur ADM Vineet Kumar Singh, both the bus driver and cleaner, who were residents of Gorakhpur, perished in the accident. Singh also confirmed that the Indian tourists traveling in two other buses are safe and are returning to Gorakhpur on August 24th.
The accident has sent shockwaves through both India and Nepal, highlighting the dangers of road travel in the region. Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident, and rescue efforts are ongoing to recover the remaining bodies from the river.
