Kathmandu:
Two Indians on a Nepal tour were killed and seven others seriously injured when an overloaded suspension bridge over the Trishuli river collapsed on Saturday in central Chitawan district, as the Indian embassy in Kathmandu stepped up relief efforts.
Seven Indian nationals sustained serious injuries when the bridge over the Trishuli river collapsed near Darechowk in Phisling village, 150 kilometres from the capital Kathmandu, according to Indian Embassy sources.
One Nepali national, identified as Man Bahadur Ale, was also killed in the accident.
The mishap occurred when a group of 46 Indians, including 43 students, two faculty members and one alumnus of Chennai's Mar Gregorious College halted at Phisling on the way to the famous tourist town of Pokhara in western Nepal from Kathmandu for a break.
Supporting cables of the bridge snapped when 16 students tried to cross it for sightseeing. Six of the students safely crossed the bridge while 10 fell into the river as the cables snapped due to the excessive load on the ageing iron structure.
Indian Embassy sources said those killed included Florence Angel, a girl from Chennai, whose body was found floating in the river soon after the accident. The body of another girl, identified as Amida, could not be recovered.
The injured include Agisha, Udaya Selvi, Priya, Balaji, Shijo Devis, Champolong and Ramesh, the sources said. Two other Nepalese were also injured in the mishap.