Identity of 20 bodies ascertained: rescue for four going on

By Ramesh Paudel, Pokhara, Jan 15: Identities of bodies of 20 passengers of the ill-fated Yeti airlines aircraft that crashed in Pokhara this morning have been established till the evening.

There were 72 people on board, 68 passengers and four crew members.

Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences has informed that the identity of the bodies were ascertained in course of postmortem.

Meanwhile, the rescue operation is going on.

The Nepali Army personnel deployed for the rescue have retrieved 68 bodies till 5 pm.

Major General Deepak Kumar Baniya, NA west division chief, said that efforts were underway to retrieve four bodies trapped in the gorge where the plane crashed.

Officer bearers of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) have identified the body of FNJ central member Tribhuvan Paudel, one of those who were killed in the crash.