An Indian Air Force aircraft on Thursday airlifted the bodies of the victims of the bus accident near Kathmandu in which 17 Indian pilgrims from Gujarat were killed when their vehicle rolled down a steep hillside and plunged into a river, an official said.The IAF aircraft left Kathmandu on Thursday afternoon for Ahmedabad in Gujarat with the 17 bodies on board besides 22 of the injured and 43 bus passengers, an Indian embassy statement here said.The accident took place when the pilgrims were homeward bound via Gorakhpur after performing religious rites at the famed Pashupati Nath temple in Kathmandu. An accompanying second bus, also carrying pilgrims from Gujarat, escaped the mishap.
The IAF aircraft was expected to land at Ahmedabad at 5.30 p.m, the embassy said.Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae laid wreaths on the bodies of the victims at the Tribhuvan International Airport here before the plane flew out.According to Nepal Police, 14 of the 17 killed in the accident hailed from Surendranagar village in Gujarat.Meanwhile, the Indian government thanked the Nepali government for providing prompt, timely and much needed assistance over the past two days in recovering the bodies of those killed and affording treatment for the injured.