The accident happened at around 11:30 am, some 130 km away from Maharajganj district of Uttar Pradesh. Vishnu Kesarwani, the proprietor of the Gorakhpur-based Kesarwani Travels that provided three buses for the Maharashtra tourists’ tour package, stated that the passengers hailed from Bhusawal, Maharashtra. They were en route to Kathmandu from Pokhara when one of the buses tragically plunged into the Marshyangdi River near Mugling.
Uttar Pradesh relief department reported that out of a total of 43, including 17 males and 26 females, the rescue team has recovered 39. Out of the recovered, 22 have been shifted to hospital, including 12 who have been evacuated to Kathmandu.
The bus was operated by driver Mustafa Khan and conductor Ramjeet alias Munna, both from Uttar Pradesh. Kesarwani stated, “Mustafa’s Indian and Nepalese phone numbers are currently unreachable, leaving his fate uncertain.”
The group from Bhusawal was initially picked up from Prayagraj and subsequently taken to Chitrakoot, Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Sonauli in the Maharajganj district, Lumbini, and Pokhara.
Speaking to TOI, G S Naveen, the relief commissioner, said, “All passengers who have survived have been transported to the hospital.”
Deceased victims have been identified as Sarai Rane (42), Bharti Prakash Jhawade (60), Tulsiram Tawde (62), Sarla Tawde (60), Sandeep Rajaram Sarode (50), Pallavi Sandeep Sarode (43), Anoop Hemraj Sarode (22), Ganesh Pandurang Bharambe (40), Nilima Chandrakant Jhawde (55), Nilima Sunil Dhande (57), Pankaj Bhagwat Bhangade (44), Pari Ganesh Bharve (6) and Ramjeet, the bus conductor.
The Uttar Pradesh govt has dispatched an SDM from Maharajganj to the incident site, while the Ministry of External Affairs is coordinating the search and rescue (SAR) operation with local authorities.
In response to the accident, the Indian embassy in Nepal has issued an emergency contact number: +977-9851107021.
Meanwhile the Nepal authorities have airlifted critically injured victims Anant Omkar Ingde (58), Rekha Koli, Rupali Hemraj Sarode (43), Bharati Patil, Sharada Sunil Patil (60), Gyaneshwar Namdev Bode, Asha Gyaneshwar Bode (58), Asha Pandurang Patil (60), Sunil Jagannath Dhande (60), Pravin Pandurang Patil (55) and Abhinash Bhagawat Patil (32).
The other passengers of the bus accident have been identified as Seema Anant Ingle alias Ishmita, Suhas Rane, Chandana Suhas Rane, Sudhakar Baliram Jhawde, Rohini Sudhakar Jhawade, Sagar Kadu Jhawade, Mangala Bilas Rane, Prakash Koli, Gokarni Sandeep Sarode, Hemraj Rajaram Sarode, Milan Ganesh Bharwe, Sulabha Pandurang Bharwe, Vijaya Kadu Jhawde, Kumudini Rabindra Jhawde, Asha Samadhan Bavaskar, Saroj Manoj Bhirud, Varsha Pankaj Bhangade and Anita Avinash Patil.
Official source informed TOI, that bodies of the deceased victims will be airlifted either directly to Mumbai or Aurangabad from Kathmandu or via Gorakhpur to Aurangabad on Saturday.
Currently, postmortem of the deceased victims is underway, and only after the completion of autopsy, the Nepal authority will share the details of deceased victims.