KATHMANDU, AUGUST 23

A bus accident in Tanahun district today claimed the lives of 27 people and left 16 others injured after an Indian bus plunged into the Marsyangdi River in Abu Khaireni.

The bus, bearing the Indian registration number UP 53 FT 7623, reportedly lost control near Aina Pahara and veered off the road, tumbling 150 meters down a steep cliff before coming to a halt on the riverbank. The top of the bus was completely destroyed during the fall, and the bus was severely damaged when it reached the riverbank.

The vehicle was en route from Pokhara to Kathmandu and carried 43 people, all Indian nationals, including the driver and his assistant. The bus had entered Nepal from the Belahiya checkpoint in Rupandehi district on August 20 with an eight-day route permit, according to police.

The Indian Embassy in Nepal confirmed the incident on social media, stating 'An Indian tourist bus travelling from Pokhara to Kathmandu with around 43 Indians fell 150 meters into Marshyandi River today', and that the embassy is coordinating with local authorities for rescue efforts. An emergency relief number, +977-98511 07021, was also provided.

Following the report of the incident, authorities immediately deployed a large number of personnel from the Armed Police Force, including 10 divers, Nepal Police, and the Nepali Army, to the incident site. However, the steep terrain made it difficult for rescuers to reach the crashed bus and carry out the rescue operation. In the initial stages, the rescue personnel had rescued 16 people from the accident site and recovered 14 bodies of the deceased.

By 4:25 PM, six more people had been rescued, and five additional bodies were recovered, bringing the death toll to 19 and the number of injured to 22. However, the toll continued to rise as six of the injured receiving treatment at Abu Khaireni Hospital succumbed to their injuries, along with one person in Bharatpur Hospital and another at the accident site.

This brings the total number of fatalities to 27, with 16 others still injured.

Initially, twelve of the injured were airlifted to Kathmandu's Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital for further treatment, while four others at the Abu Khaireni Hospital were flown later in the evening.

This bus accident on the Nepali highways comes on the heels of the July 12 incident, where two passenger buses carrying 51 passengers were swept away by a landslide into the Trishuli River in the Simaltal area along the Narayanghat-Mugling road section in Chitwan district.