Seven Indian pilgrims die as bus veers off mountain road and crashes into ravine in Nepal

Seven Indian pilgrims were killed and several others injured after a bus carrying devotees plunged nearly 500 feet into a ravine in Gandaki Province of Nepal on Saturday. The accident occurred while the group was returning from the revered Manakamana Temple in the mountainous Gorkha District.

According to police officials, the microbus veered off the narrow mountain road and rolled down a steep slope before crashing into a gorge. All seven people who died in the accident were Indian nationals, including two women and five men.

Authorities identified the deceased as Muthu Kumar (58), Anamalik (58), Meenakshi (59), Sivagami (53), Vijayal (57), Meena (58) and Tamilarsi (60). The victims were part of a group of pilgrims visiting the famous temple, a popular Hindu shrine believed to grant devotees’ wishes.

Seven other passengers who were injured in the accident were rescued and shifted to a hospital in Anbukhaireni for treatment. Police said the driver of the electric bus escaped unharmed, while his assistant sustained injuries during the crash.

Officials said the accident took place near Shahid Lakhan village, around 120 kilometres west of Kathmandu. The bus reportedly lost control while descending a curved stretch of the mountain road, slipping off the edge and tumbling nearly 150 metres down the hillside before landing in the ravine.