DNA tests a must

KATHMANDU: With the bodies of the Sita Air Dornier crash victims charred beyond recognition in the fire that engulfed the plane after yesterday’s disaster, forensic experts are finding it tough to conduct post-mortems and identify the victims.

All of the 19 — seven Nepalis, seven Britons and five Chinese nationals — on board the plane died in the second air crash in the country within five months. Dr Harihar Osti, forensic expert at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, said post-mortems were expected to complete by tonight.

“Officials are collecting data on the crash victims and their belongings. We are preparing to recommend the government to conduct DNA tests to establish the deceased’s identities,” he informed.

Although officials from British and Chinese embassies and kin of the deceased have been demanding they be allowed to take stock of the bodies, the hospital said the bodies would not be handed over to the families until DNA tests are conducted.

Experts are facing a tough time identifying the victims’ body parts. They said only DNA tests can determine which parts belong to whom.

Sunday 30 September 2012

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=DNA+tests+a+must&NewsID=349136

Bodies of French climbers killed in Nepal reached Paris

The bodies of four French climbers who were killed in an avalanche on Manaslu peak in Nepal nearly a week ago reached in Paris on Saturday, sources at Charles de Gaulle airport said.

The four — two guides and two clients — were among eight people killed after an avalanche swept through their camp on the side of the 8,156-metre (26,759-foot) Himalayan mountain early last Sunday, just hours before the alpinists were to make an attempt to reach the peak’s summit.

The other dead included a Spaniard, a German, an Italian and a Nepali guide. Three climbers, two Frenchmen and a Canadian, remain missing and presumed dead following the deadly slide.

A memorial ceremony for the dead is due to be held on Tuesday in Chamonix, the French Alpine village that is considered the birthplace of European alpinism and the home of most of the French climbers killed

Sunday 30 September 2012

http://www.nepalmountainnews.com/cms/2012/09/30/bodies-of-french-climbers-killed-in-nepal-arrive-in-paris/

Gyari operation: two more bodies found

The dead bodies of two of the soldiers who were buried under an avalanche in the Gyari Sector on April 7 have been recovered on the 176th day of the operation.

A total of 140 people—soldiers and civilian—were buried under the ice on April 7, 2012 and since then an operation is under way to rescue the victims. The rescuers found the 83 bodies till now and there are hopes that more bodies will be found in future.

The bodies have been shifted to Goma Hospital; however, the officials cannot identify it because it has decomposed badly. A team of around 300 soldiers and 50 engineering plants are employed at the search operation in the harsh weather conditions.

Sunday 30 September 2012

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/30-Sep-2012/gyari-operation-two-more-bodies-found?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online%2F24hours-news+%28The+Nation+%3A+Latest+News%29

Kin of Nepali passengers receive bodies

KATHMANDU, Sept 30: The kin of five Nepali passengers who died in Friday´s Sita Air crash received their dead bodies on Sunday. The bodies were identified on the basis of dental data and personal belongings of the dead.

According to Dr Harihar Wasti, head of Forensic Department at Tribuvan University Teaching Hospital, the bodies of crew members, Captain Bijaya Tandukar, co-Pilot Takeshi Thapa, airhostess Ruja Shakya, and passengers, Dipen Rai and Madan Kumari Tamang, were handed to their kin.

Wu Hui, who was earlier thought be a Chinese citizen, has now been identified as a US citizen and his family members are arriving in Kathmandu to receive the body, according to the department. Dr Wasti said, "The remaining bodies couldn´t be identified till Sunday because of the lack of equipment and sufficient information."

Meanwhile, the problem of keeping dead bodies at mortuary has been solved temporarily. According to the department, four bodies have been kept at the mortuary of US embassy and five have been accommodated at the mortuary of German embassy. The remaining five bodies are at Teaching Hospital.

Seven Nepalis, including three crew members, seven Briton, four Chinese and a US citizen were killed in the crash. Sales and Marketing Manager of Sita Air, Dipendra Shahi, said that the samples have been sent for DNA test to identify other bodies and would take some time to get the reports. Shahi said that the bodies of the foreigners would be handed over only after DNA report arrives.

A probe team that comprises of experts from the UK has started the investigation.

Two aviation experts from the UK have joined the five-member probe team instituted by Nepal government for investigating the crash and the team has started working from Friday.

The panel headed by former tourism secretary Nagendra Prasad Ghimire visited the crash site along with the UK experts, according to Suresh Acharya, joint-secretary of MoCTCA and member secretary of the accident probe team. "Today we surveyed the position of the damaged aircraft and took photographs," he said.

Aided by National Bird Control Committee, the team also inspected the runway where the bird reportedly hit the elevator of the aircraft.

Sunday 30 September 2012

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=42752

Nepal plane crash victims' bodies may not be released to families for weeks

Officials told The Telegraph it could be more than a month before their bodies are released.

Seven British men, Raymond Eagle, 58, Christopher Davey, 51, Vincent Kelly, 50, Darren Kelly, 45, Timothy Oakes, 57, Stephen Holding, 60, and Benjamin Ogden, 27, were among 19 passengers and crew killed when their light aeroplane crashed minutes after taking off from Kathmandu airport in Nepal last Friday.

Accident investigators believe the pilot panicked and lost control of the Dornier twin turboprop when a bird hit one of the propellers and crashed while trying to make a sharp turn for an emergency landing.

Officials of Sita Air said the plane caught fire within minutes of the take off, while residents of the tin shack shanty town close to where it crashed said they heard passengers screaming and saw them waving their arms as it nosedived.

The forensic scientist heading the investigation into the cause of the 19 deaths, including four Chinese trekkers, five Nepalese passengers and three crew, has told The Telegraph they all died "on impact", but the fire which engulfed the plane had left most of the bodies "unrecognisable."

The bodies of five Nepali victims, including the aircrew, the British trekkers' tour guide and a local passenger, were released last night after their families identified them from dental records and possessions found on them, including jewellery.

Sunday 30 September 2012

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/nepal/9577170/Nepal-plane-crash-victims-bodies-may-not-be-released-to-families-for-weeks.html