Relatives of Nepal plane crash victims protest at post-mortem delays

Grieving relatives of victims of Sunday’s plane crash in Nepal are growing impatient as they wait for authorities to carry out post-mortem examinations and release the bodies for cremation.

The Yeti Airlines flight with 72 people on board plummeted into a gorge while on approach to the newly-opened Pokhara International Airport in the foothills of the Himalayas. There were no survivors.

“It has been four days, but no-one is listening to us,” said Madan Kumar Jaiswal as he waited outside the Tribhuvan University Institute of Medicine on Wednesday.

He said he wants the post-mortems to be done quickly so the families can receive the bodies of their loved ones.

“They are saying that they will do a DNA test. My daughter is dead,” said Ashok Rayamagi, father of another victim.

Authorities did not comment about the post-mortem examinations on Wednesday but several of the bodies were reported to be badly burned.

Some aviation experts said footage from the ground of the plane’s last moments indicated that the aircraft went into a stall, although it is unclear why.

The search for the only remaining missing person resumed on Wednesday with the help of divers and drones, police said.

Workers had shut down a dam on the Seti River to help them look for the body in the 984ft (300m) deep ravine.

A team of experts from the French manufacturer of the ATR aircraft visited the crash site in Pokhara, the gateway to popular hiking tracks in the Himalayas.

The Cologne-based European Union Aviation Safety Agency is also taking part in the investigation alongside French air accident investigations agency BEA, spokeswoman Janet Northcote said.

Searchers retrieved cockpit voice and flight data recorders on Monday.

The voice recorder will be analysed locally, but the flight data recorder will be sent to France.