Nepal bridge collapse claims Indians

KATHMANDU: Less than a month after a mountain flight in central Nepal crashed and claimed 10 Indian tourists, most of them from Chennai, more visitors from the Indian state became casualties of yet another disaster in the neighbouring country on Saturday when a study tour ended in tragedy with a bridge collapse.
Samson Paul, a 24-year-old student from the Mar Gregorios Arts and Science College founded by the Malankara Syrian Catholic community in Mogappair west near Chennai, narrated stoically the tragedy that erupted right in front of his eyes in the afternoon and could have claimed him as well but for the grace of god.
 "We were going to Pokhara on a sight-seeing tour when we came across this quaint suspension bridge," a shocked Paul told TNN. "Our bus stopped and about 15 people went up on the bridge and started taking photographs. I was near the foot of the bridge waiting for them to come back so that the next lot of us could go there. Suddenly, it happened. The bridge collapsed and there was absolute pandemonium."
 Police said two people had died in the collapse. They had been identified as Florence Angel, in her 20s, from Chennai and a 61-year-old Nepali, Man Bahadur Ale. A second Indian student, preliminarily identified as Hamida Momin, was still missing. Police said searches were still on in the Trishuli River to locate the missing woman.  A dozen students were injured and rushed to two hospitals in Chitwan in southern Nepal where some of them had been admitted to ICU with head injuries. Some of them have been identified as B. Ramesh, 22, Sindhu Jha, 21, Balaji, 23, Christopher, 22, Sigdi, 23, Jack, 22, U Sylvie, 22, Priya, 23, from Tamil Nadu and Kelvin Strength Syangba from Meghalaya.
 Paul said the group had left Chennai on Oct 12 and were scheduled to return on Sunday, He himself was unhurt. Ramesh's condition, police said, was serious.
 The bridge collapse triggered a demonstration by locals who blockaded the highway for some time, demanding compensation for the victims and a new bridge.
 According to Samson Paul, the bus was carrying 46 people, including 42 students, mostly from Tamil Nadu, two faculty members and two facilitators.
 Police said the accident occurred around noon when the suspension bridge connecting Fisling and Bhumisichaur villages over the monsoon-gorged Trishuli River collapsed.