Nepal bus crash: Bodies of Maharashtra pilgrims to be repatriated on Saturday

Mumbai: The bodies of deceased pilgrims and those injured in a bus accident in Nepal are expected to arrive in Maharashtra via a special Indian Air Force flight on Saturday evening, according to officials.
A representative from the relief and rehabilitation department stated, “The Indian embassy in Kathmandu will transfer the pilgrims and deceased to the Indian government at Maharajganj at 2 pm on Saturday. They will then be transported to Gorakhpur airport by road, a journey that takes over four hours.”
Given that the final commercial flight from Gorakhpur departs at 5 pm, the Maharashtra government has requested assistance from the Ministry of Defence for a special flight. The official explained that transporting the tourists and the deceased to Gorakhpur rather than Kathmandu was deemed more convenient.
An official from the Jalgaon collectorate revealed that the group of 40 tourists and pilgrims had engaged a tour operator from Uttar Pradesh for their Nepal excursion. “All of them are from Varangaon, Bhusaval and Talvel. The majority belong to the Leva Patil community,” the official added.
The Maharashtra government has been liaising with the Indian embassy in Kathmandu and the district administration in Maharajganj district, Uttar Pradesh. The state’s Delhi-based Resident Commissioner has been tasked with coordinating efforts between the Indian embassy in Kathmandu and the Uttar Pradesh administration.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “The pilgrims killed and injured in the bus accident are from Jalgaon. We have contacted the Indian embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal. The Jalgaon collector is in constant communication with his counterpart in Maharajganj district of Uttar Pradesh, which shares a border with Nepal. A deputy superintendent and a sub-divisional officer from the UP administration have been deployed to ensure prompt medical assistance for the injured. The Maharashtra government is working closely with the UP administration to expedite the repatriation of the deceased.”