A candle light vigil at Manik Mia Avenue in the city on Thursday paying tributes to those who died in the US-Bangla plane crash in Nepal on Monday, including Rafiq Zaman, Director, Protibondhi Nagorik Sangathaner Parishad, his wife Sanjida Haq and son Aniruddha Zaman — FE photo by Shafiqul Alam The number of deaths in the US-Bangla aircraft crash has been corrected by Nepal's Home Ministry on Wednesday.
In a statement, the ministry said a total of 49 people, including the crew members, were killed in the crash that took place at Nepal's Tribhuvan International Airport on Monday.
Of the dead, 26 were Bangladeshis, 22 were Nepalese, and one was Chinese. Earlier, the ministry had put the death toll at 51.
Chairman of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Air Vice Marshal M Naim Hassan told reporters that it might take one year to complete the accident investigation process, as it is very lengthy.
Meanwhile, one of the 10 Bangladeshi survivors of the crash returned home on Thursday. Shahreen Ahmed, daughter of Mostak Ahmed and Ferdous Mostak of Baridhara DOHS in the capital, landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at around 3:40 pm by a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight.
Shahreen, who suffered burns on her leg, was directly taken to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) from the airport.
Three other survivors - Mehedi Hasan, Saiyada Kamrunnahar Shwarna and Almun Nahar Annie - are also expected to return home today (Friday), family sources said.
Another survivor, Md Rezwanul Haque, assistant registrar of Rangpur Medical College Hospital, was flown to Singapore for better treatment on Wednesday night. Mr Haque's wife died in the accident.
Of the injured Bangladeshis, condition of Emrana Kabir Hashi is critical, as she sustains 70 per cent burn injury. She is now under treatment at Kathmandu Medical College Hospital, but her relatives are planning to shift her to India.
Another survivor - Eakub Ali - will also be shifted to India for better treatment, his family sources said.
Shahin Bapary, another Bangladeshi survivor, told newsmen in Nepal that his condition is stable and he is gradually recovering. But none of his relatives was able to reach Kathmandu so far to attend him.
"My wife does not have any passport, so that he could not come here," he added.
The bodies of the crash victims will be handed over to the Bangladesh Embassy in Nepal after identification. The process may start from tomorrow (Saturday). Out of the 49 dead passengers, bodies of only eight could be identified without DNA test.
"These bodies may be handed over on Saturday," forensic expert Dr Sohel Mahmud, a member of the Bangladeshi medical team in Nepal, told reporters.
Other bodies will require DNA test, and the process might take 10-15 days more, he also said.
A seven-member Bangladeshi medical team, including two orthopedics specialists, two burn specialists, two anesthesiologists and a forensic expert, landed in Kathmandu on Thursday to join in the healthcare of the US-Bangla Airlines plane crash survivors.
A team of Bangladesh's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) also reached Nepal on the day to collect DNA samples of the crash victims.
A two-member team, including Additional SP Abdus Salam and Assistant DNA Analyst Ashraful Alam, reached Kathmandu to assist in the DNA identification process through collecting samples from the unidentifiable victims.
Bangladesh on Thursday mourned the plane crash victims. The national flag was at half-mast at the government and non-government organisations as well as at the Bangladesh embassies abroad.
Special prayers will be offered at mosques, temples, churches and pagodas across the country today.
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