"State govt providing necessary help to victims": Maharashtra CM Shinde over Nepal bus accident
Aug 24, 2024
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 24 : Maharashtra Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde, said on Saturday that the state government is actively providing the necessary help to the victims of the tragic road accident in Nepal, which claimed the lives of 27 Indian nationals.
Shinde said Home Minister Amit Shah has also appointed a nodal officer to help all those affected.
"I have talked to the Union Defence Ministry regarding the sad incident that happened yesterday in Kathmandu. The Home Minister has appointed a nodal officer to help all those affected and they will be taken to Nashik from Gorakhpur by the Air Force. For those who are injured, treatment is being provided to them. The state government is actively working in this regard and all the needful help is being provided by the state and the central government," the Maharashtra Chief Minister said.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Raksha Khadse arrived in Nepal today to oversee the return of the victims and survivors of the bus mishap in the Tanahun district of the country.
According to the Indian Embassy in India in Kathmandu, 27 Indian nationals had lost their lives after the bus they were travelling in veered off the highway and fell into the Marsyangdi River in the Aanboo Kaireni area in Tanahun district on August 23.
Sixteen passengers were airlifted to Kathmandu for further treatment at TU Teaching Hospital.
"Our Embassy is extending all possible help in the matter. 16 people who were injured in the accident have been airlifted and are presently undergoing treatment in a hospital," MEA spokesperson Jaiswal stated in a post on X.
In a post on her social media platform X, Khadse said, she visited Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital to meet with the injured in the accident.
The Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister was accompanied by Nepal Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak on her visit to the hospital.
After her arrival at the Tribhuvan Internatioal Airport in Kathmandu, Khadse said that she discussed the rescue operation and further course of action with Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava and Joint Secretary of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Nepal, Brighu Dhungana.
The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu has set up emergency helpline numbers for affected families to reach out for assistance and they are in constant touch with local authorities and with affected families and are making arrangement for early transportation of mortal remains to India.
The helpline numbers provided by the Embassy are: +977-9851107021, +977-9851316807 and +977-9749833292, all of which are also available on WhatsApp.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also expressed grief over the tragic road accident in Nepal.
He extended condolences to the grieving families and wished for the swift recovery of the injured.
PM Modi also assured that the Indian Embassy is providing all possible assistance to those affected.
The bodies will be transported by road to Bhairahawa, near the Sonauli border crossing, from where an Indian Air Force aircraft will carry them to Nashik, Maharashtra.