Pokhara air crash: challenge to identify charred remains of crash victims

KATHMANDU – Fourteen bodies retrieved following the crash of Yeti Airlines aircraft in Pokhara are yet to be identified.

According to Tribhuvan University (TU) Teaching Hospital forensic medicine department’s chief Dr Gopal Kumar Chaudhary, the mortal remains are largely charred and they are facing challenges to establish their identities even through forensic procedures.

“We are further trying to identify them by this evening,” he said, adding that DNA procedures will be applied to establish the identities if it is not possible through forensic procedures. It will take at least 22 days to determine the identities through the DNA test.

The aircraft en route to Pokhara from Kathmandu on January 15 crashed into the Seti River Gorge near the Pokhara Regional International Airport after it took permission for landing, killing 72 people, including four crew members and 68 passengers. Of the total remains, 48 were brought to Kathmandu for forensic tests.

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