Kin Of 17 Out Of 18 Air Crash Victims In Nepal Receive Bodies

The aeroplane crash at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu occurred during the aircraft's takeoff, resulting in a harrowing scene as the plane skidded and veered off the runway, bursting into flames, claiming at least 18 lives.

Kathmandu: Bodies of 17 out of the 18 persons killed in the deadly plane crash in Nepal were handed over to their relatives on Saturday, a day after some families refused to accept the corpses demanding clarity on the issue of compensation and insurance.

The remaining body is that of Aref Reda, a Yemeni national, who was among the 19 people on board a Pokhara-bound aircraft of Saurya Airlines that crashed shortly after taking off from the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) here and caught fire on Wednesday.

Apart from the pilot who is the lone survivor and the co-pilot, the flight was carrying technical staff of the airline, and a child and his mother. According to Deputy Inspector General of Police Dan Bahadur Karki, all the bodies except for the body of Aref Reda have been handed over to the family members, The Kathmandu Post said.

Most of the bodies were identified by Friday and five of the 18 of them were collected by the respective kin. However, there had been issues in identifying the severely charred bodies. A large team of doctors worked to identify the victims as quickly as possible, according to officials.

Relatives of the remaining deceased persons, who had earlier refused to receive the bodies demanding that the government and airlines guarantee compensation and insurance issues first, accepted the bodies after the officials promised to address their concerns.

Earlier on Friday, Saurya Airlines had committed that it would provide as much support as possible to the victims' kin. We assure the victims' families that we will provide all possible support and assistance, the report said, citing a statement by Saurya Airlines chairman Dipak Kumar Pokharel.

Meanwhile, the pilot of the crashed aircraft Captain Manish Ratna Shakya, who was the lone survivor, was shifted to a general ward from the intensive care unit (ICU) following improvement in his health condition, the newspaper said quoting Professor Dr Meena Thapa, director of Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital. According to Nepal's civil aviation body, it is the 105th plane crash in Nepali skies since the first disaster in August 1955, the report said.

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