Bus with 40 Indian passengers plunges into Nepal river, 14 dead

An Indian passenger bus plunged into the Marsyangdi river in Nepal’s Tanahun district, killing 14 people and leaving 16 injured on Friday. The bus, carrying 40 Indians, was en route to Kathmandu from Pokhara.

“The bus, bearing number plate UP (Uttar Pradesh) FT 7623, plunged into the river,” DSP Deepkumar Raya of Tanahun district said. The accident took place at Aaina Pahara in Tanahun district.

A team of 45 police personnel led by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Madhav Paudel from the Armed Police Force Nepal Disaster Management Training School has reached the accident site and is carrying out rescue operations.

The Indian passengers were staying at Majheri Resort in Pokhara. The bus left for Kathmandu from Pokhara on Friday morning.

Uttar Pradesh Relief Commissioner said it was trying to establish contact to find out if any person from the state was on the bus, ANI reported.

Nepal’s topography and network of river systems make the landlocked Himalayan nation highly susceptible to disasters.

Last month, two buses carrying around 65 passengers fell into the Trishuli river in Nepal following a landslide. Over 50 people, including seven Indians, were presumed to be dead in the accident.

The accident, which happened amid a heavy downpour, occurred on the Madan-Ashrit Highway in central Nepal. One of the buses was heading from Kathmandu to Gaur in Rautahat. The other was headed to Kathmandu from Birgunj.