Kathmandu, August 23 – A devastating incident occurred on Friday when a bus carrying 40 passengers from Gorakhpur, India, to Kathmandu, Nepal, plunged into the Marsyangdi River near Ainapahara in Tanahun district. The accident resulted in the death of 14 individuals, with 16 others injured.

The bus, embarking on its journey from the picturesque town of Pokhara after a two-day stay at the Majheri Resort, met with the tragic accident early Friday morning. Rescue operations commenced swiftly with teams from Nepal Police and Armed Police deployed, managing to rescue 16 passengers from the stranded bus along the river's edge.

Kaski Police spokesperson DSP Shailendra Thapa confirmed that the bus was on its way to Kathmandu when the mishap occurred. By afternoon, rescue teams had recovered 14 bodies, and 17 injured passengers were transported to the hospital for urgent medical care.

DSP Deepak Kumar Rai of Tanahun stated, "The ongoing rescue efforts may lead to an increase in the number of casualties as the operation continues." According to him, the bus was carrying 43 people including the driver and the co-driver. Efforts are ongoing to locate 13 missing passengers, with a team of 10 divers from Nepal Police and Armed Police involved in the search operations.

The Nepali Army has also been mobilized, with an MI-17 helicopter carrying a medical team dispatched to assist at the scene. Additionally, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu has issued a helpline number (+9779851107021) on their official X account to assist families of the victims and provide necessary information regarding the accident. 

This tragic event has drawn immediate attention from both Nepali and Indian authorities, who are collaboratively working to aid the affected passengers and investigate the circumstances leading to the accident.

Gorakhpur, June 19 (IANS) The Gita Press in Gorakhpur has refused to accept Rs one crore cash reward for the Gandhi Peace Award.

It said that it would only accept the citation and not the cash prize.

The jury headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had unanimously selected Gita Press as the recipient of the award.

The announcement of the Gandhi Peace Award was made on Sunday. The prize includes a reward of Rs one crore, a certificate of appreciation and a plaque.

Refusing to accept the honorarium, Gita Press in a statement suggested the government should spend the money elsewhere. Gita Press said it would only accept a certificate of appreciation.

The decision to award the Gita Press did not go down well with the Congress. Party leader Jairam Ramesh criticized the move, and called the selection of Gita Press for the award a "travesty".

He also said that giving the Gandhi Peace Prize 2021 to Gita Press, would be like "awarding Savarkar and Godse". He argued that Akshaya Mukul, an author, had written a biography titled 'Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India'. Ramesh said the book talks about Mukul's "stormy" relations with Mahatma Gandhi.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Gita Press for winning the prize and commended its contribution to the field.

Gita Press, based in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur, is one of the world's largest publishers, having published 41.7 crore books in 14 languages, including 16.21 crore Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, an official statement said.

Gorakhpur, Feb 26 (IANS) A woman killed her husband and two step-sons by slitting their throat in her house in Sahabganj in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur district on Sunday. The accused woman has been arrested and the knife used in the crime has also been seized.

According to reports, Avadhesh Gupta, 40, had remarried after the death of his first wife from whom he had two sons Aryan and Pihu. His second wife Neelam hails from Sant Kabir Nagar and has a daughter from her first marriage.

According to sources, Neelam had relations with another man and wanted to get rid of her husband and step-sons. After committing the crime, Neelam informed the police that some people were attacking her husband and step-sons.

The police reached her house and saw Avadhesh and the two sons lying in a pool of blood. The police rushed the three to the hospital where the doctors declared Avadhesh dead. The two children died during treatment.

SP north, Manoj Awasthi said that they have registered a case on the complaint of Avadhesh's mother and Neelam has been arrested.