Mumbai:

The death toll in the road accident in Nepal’s Tanahun district has risen to 41. Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan confirmed the deaths during a press conference in Mumbai on Friday.

A bus carrying around 43 passengers mostly Indian tourists, veered off the road into the Marsyangdi River at Ainapahara in Nepal’s Tanahun District on August 23.

During the press conference, Minister Mahajan said that the state government is in constant touch with the Nepal administration and also with the Embassy of Delhi to coordinate the relief efforts.

“41 people have died in Nepal after it plunged into the river. We connected with the Embassy in Delhi also. 12 people have been shifted by the Nepal Army to the hospital,” Minister Mahajan said.

Mahajan said that the exact figure is yet to be ascertained and added that most passengers hailed from Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district.

“We don’t have the exact figure. There are 16-18 more but there can be casualties among them. We are continuously in touch with the district administration and the military and I have also interacted with Dy CM. The rescue efforts are still underway,” he added.

According to officials, the bus was en route to Kathmandu from Pokhara when it met with the accident.

Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who oversees the disaster relief and rehabilitation department, spoke with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior central officials on Friday regarding the repatriation of bodies of deceased Indian tourists. Amit Shah assured CM Shinde of the full cooperation from the central government.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office, a special Indian Air Force aircraft will bring the bodies of 24 tourists tomorrow to Nashik and the bodies will then be handed over to their families.

CM Shinde earlier offered condolences over the deaths and conveyed his sympathies to the bereaved families.

In a post on X, the Chief Minister said that the news of a tragic accident of a bus, carrying pilgrims from India, including Maharashtra’s Jalgaon in Nepal, is deeply saddening.

“Unfortunately, some devotees have lost their lives, while others have been seriously injured. The state government, in coordination with the Nepal Embassy and the Uttar Pradesh government, is ensuring that the injured receive prompt medical attention. The state government is deeply concerned for the victims and their families and stands in solidarity with them during this difficult time,” the post mentioned.

The Chief Minister further said that efforts are underway to expedite repartiation of the bodies of the deceased to Maharashtra.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)