Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday wrote to External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar seeking his intervention for extending "all possible assistance" to the victims of Kathmandu bus accident.
"I have just been informed of a tragic bus accident in Kathmandu, Nepal befalling pilgrims from Odisha today at around 1:00 am. It is understood that a bus carrying 23 pilgrims was en-route to Kathmandu from Janakpur when it met with an accident at Mangalpur," Pradhan said in his letter to Jaishankar.
"Keeping in mind the sensitivity of the matter, I seek your personal intervention in taking up the matter with concerned officials for extending all possible assistance to the victims, post-mortem of the deceased and facilitation of their repatriation," he added.
Two Indian pilgrims died and several others sustained injuries when a truck rammed into a bus carrying 60 passengers in Rautahat district, police said on Tuesday.
The incident took place on Monday night when the bus, en route from Janakpur to Kathmandu, stopped at Paurai forest area along East-West Highway in Chandrapur Municipality-1, Nabin Karki, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Rautahat district, told ANI.
The deceased have been identified as Bijay Kumar Jena (52) and Charan Bishal (54), both from Odisha. Their bodies have been kept at a government health facility in Chandranigahapur for the post-mortem examination.
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Among the injured, three pilgrims -- Sarbeshwor Jena (55), Sheshadev Jena (53), and Karuna Karjuna Awasthi (63) -- are in a critical condition and undergoing treatment at Birjung-based Neuro hospital.
"I gather than two pilgrims, Bijay Kumar Jena and Charan Biswal were killed on spot while three pilgrims, Sarbeshwar Jena, Sheshadev Jena and Karuna Karjuna Awasthi are in a critical condition and undergoing treatment at Birjung Neuro Hospital, Kaki," said Pradhan.
"The bodies of the deceased have been kept at a government facility in Chandranigahpaur municipality for post-mortem and rest of the injured passengers are being treated at Chandranigahapur Hospital. I understand that the pilgrims belong to Khordha and Puri districts in Odisha and I am reaching out to families at the time of writing," he added.