Three days after the tragic air crash at Tribhuvan International Airport, which resulted in the loss of 18 lives, Nepali authorities have begun the process of returning the bodies to their families. Starting from Friday, the handover process took place at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) morgue.
Out of the 18 victims, five bodies were given to their families after completing the necessary autopsies. Officials confirmed that the identification of the victims was carried out through the ‘Disaster Victim Identification’ (DVI) process.
The crash involved a domestic flight operated by Saurya Airlines. The families and relatives of the deceased endured a long wait and extensive paperwork to claim the bodies of their loved ones. To expedite the process, a team of 25 doctors was stationed at the TUTH mortuary.
Before the formal handover, family members were called to identify the bodies. Deputy Superintendent of Police Amar Thapa reported, “A total of 5 bodies have been handed over to the respective families for cremation. Uddav Puri, Ashmin Niraula, Shyam Bindukar, Sushant Katuwal, and Rajaram Acharya’s bodies were received by their family members today. More bodies will be handed over tomorrow.”
The crash occurred on July 24 when a Saurya Airlines aircraft, on the way from Kathmandu to Pokhara, crashed shortly after takeoff. The flight had 19 people on board, including two crew members. The plane, a CRJ7 (Reg-9N-AME), took off at 11:11 am local time, turned right, and crashed on the east side of the runway.
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Emergency responders quickly brought the resulting fire under control and commenced rescue operations. Eighteen bodies were recovered from the wreckage, and one person, the pilot, was found alive and taken to the hospital. The pilot remains the sole survivor of the crash.
The ill-fated flight was carrying only technical staff from Saurya Airlines, with no passengers on board. Gyanendra Bhul, an information officer at Tribhuvan International Airport, confirmed this detail, noting that the plane was solely transporting technical staff members at the time of the crash.
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