Seventeen Indian pilgrims were killed in a road accident on Wednesday morning when a bus they were travelling in fell off the road some 30 km from capital Kathmandu, police said.
According to the police, 28 passengers from the double-decker bus were undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Kathmandu.
“There were 45 people on board the bus,” SSP Narayan Singh Khadka, spokesperson at the Metropolitan Police Commissioner’s Office, told The Hindu . “Fourteen of the passengers died on the spot and three succumbed to injuries during treatment at hospital in Kathmandu.”
The pilgrims were returning to their home in Gujarat after offering prayers at temples in Kathmandu, including Pashupatinath.
The deceased have been identified, some of them from the same families. All passengers are from Gujarat. While the driver of the bus was injured, his helper and two cooks are among those who died.
SSP Khadka who had visited the accident site said the 14 people who died on the spot have been identified by passengers from another accompanying bus. “We are trying to verify the details but no addresses have been known so far.”
The bus skidded off the road into a rivulet near Naubise in Dhading district. The cause of the accident, which occurred around 6.45 a.m. is not known yet.
According to Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, the bus – GJ14X9990 – was operated by Sri Hari Tours and Travels from Gujarat.
Passengers on another accompanying bus, with Indian registration number GJ 9 9988, are safe. These passengers had helped identified those who had died on the spot.
This is the second accident in a month involving Indians traveling to Nepal for prayers at the Pashupati temple. On March 23, five of a family from Jharkhand >had died in the accident at Kulekhani in Makwanpur district. They were on their way to the temple.
Helpline Numbers provided by Indian Embassy, Kathmandu:
The embassy has provided helpline nos.: +977 9851107021 (Mr. Robin Bhattacharya) and +977 1 4411027 (Smt. Sumati S. Rao).
Names of those killed in the accident
1. Ganesh Shiva Chhatwara (M)
2. Jasu Ben (F)
3. Ganesh Shanker Chhatwara (M)
4. Ishwar Shyamji Chhatwara (M)
5. Kanchan Ben (F)
6. Labu Ben (F)
7. Dalpat Bhai Chhatwara (M)
8. Savita Ben (F)
9. Devji Bhai (M)
10. Gauri Ben (F)
11. Daya Ram Chhatwara (M)
12. Ganga Ram Chhatwara (M)
13. Leela Ben (F)
14. Narsi Poppat Bhai Chhatwara (M)
15. Alpesh Kodi Patel, bus helper (M)
16. Champa Ben, cook (F)
17. Jasu Ben, cook (F)
