Kamal Ghorui
COIMBATORE/SIVAGANGA: Seven pilgrims from Tamil Nadu died after a bus they were travelling in fell into a 150ft-deep gorge while returning from Manakamana temple at Kantar in Nepal’s Gorkha district on Saturday. Seven more pilgrims from the state who were travelling on the same bus suffered injuries in the accident.The deceased were identified as Muthukumar, 58, his wife Meena, 58, Meenakshi, 59, and Tamilarasi, 60, all from Pollachi in Coimbatore district; and Annamalai, 58, his wife Vijaya, 50, and Sivagami, 60, all from Devakottai in Sivaganga district. While Muthukumar was a businessman, Tamilarasi was a retired court staff member. The couple, Muthukumar and Meena, are survived by a son and a daughter.The deceased were part of a group of 24 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu who began their 13-day spiritual journey on March 7 through a travel agent to Allahabad, Triveni Sangam and Ayodhya in India, and Muktinath and Manakamana temple in Nepal.In a press note issued on Sunday night, the Tamil Nadu govt said the Commissionerate of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils was taking steps in coordination with representatives from Nepal’s Tamil Association, Tamil Nadu Illam, New Delhi, and the ministry of external affairs to provide treatment to the injured pilgrims and bring the bodies back to the state.The seven bodies were sent to Kathmandu after post-mortem. The bodies will soon be flown to Chennai and sent to their respective hometowns. The injured pilgrims along with eight other pilgrims will also be brought back to Chennai.
