Toll at 41 in Nepal accident, IAF aircraft to bring back bodies of Indians

Autopsies of bodies of those who were killed after an India registered passenger bus plunged into a river some 110 kilometeres from Kathmandu on August 23 began on Saturday at a hospital in Bharatpur, a Nepal police official said today.

The postmortem is expected to be completed by 12 noon today after which the bodies will be handed over to authorities who will transport them by road via Sonauli border crossing of Bhairahawa, the official said, adding that it takes around four hours to reach Bhairahawa from Bharatpur by road.

An Indian Air Force plane will transport the bodies to Nashik today, a Maharastra state government release said on Friday in Mumbai.

At least 27 Indians, all from Maharashtra, who were visiting Nepal, were killed and 16 others injured after the bus they were travelling in veered off the highway and fell into Marsyangdi River in the Aanboo Kaireni area in Tanahun district. The bus was on its way to Kathmandu from Pokhara when the mishap took place.

Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan addressing a press conference in Mumbai yesterday said confirmed that the death toll had risen to 41.

During the press conference, Mahajan said that the Maharashtra government is in constant touch with the Nepal administration and also with the Embassy of Delhi to coordinate the relief efforts.

"41 people have died in Nepal after it plunged into the river. We connected with the Embassy in Delhi also. 12 people have been shifted by the Nepal Army to the hospital," Mahajan said.

Mahajan said while the exact number of passengers are yet to be ascertained, most of them hailed from Maharashtra's Jalgaon district.

"We don't have the exact figure. There are 16-18 more but there can be casualties among them. We are continuously in touch with the district administration and the military and I have also interacted with the Deputy Chief Minister. The rescue efforts are still underway," he said.

A special Indian Air Force plane has been arranged to bring back bodies of 24 tourists who were killed in the mishap in Nepal to Nashik.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who oversees the disaster relief and rehabilitation department, spoke with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior central officials on Friday regarding the repatriation of bodies of 24 Indians.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief at the loss of lives and said the Indian Embassy is providing all possible assistance to those affected.