US-Bangla plane crash: Autopsy of 34 victims done

Nepalese forensic doctors have completed autopsy of 34 bodies of victims onboard the ill-fated US-Bangla flight that crashed at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Nepal on Monday.

The Forensic Department at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital of Nepal said on Thursday evening that it would take a few more days to complete the autopsy of all the 49 crash victims.

“Except for eight bodies, all the others are hard to identify. It take a careful investigation as the bodies and body parts have to be put through a battery of tests,” said Dr Pramod Shrestha, chief of the Forensic Department.

According to forensic experts, the time taken to complete an autopsy depends on the state of the corpse. If the body is intact, a ‘general medico-legal’ report could be prepared in an hour, reports the Kathmandu Post. 

However, in the case of mutilated and burnt bodies, doctors have to look for clues within the organs and body parts which adds up around 3 hours for an individual corpse.

“The bodies of air crash victims are a special case. We look for multiple clues within the body or organs that might assist in its identification,” said Dr Harihar Wasti of the Forensic Department. 

The autopsy of crew members will be much longer because the body fluids and organs are put through more tests, he added.

Doctors have already began toxicology tests on crew members of the US-Bangla Airlines to ascertain if the crew members, including flight captain and co-pilot, had any poisons or toxins in their system. 

Forty-nine people died on Monday when the plane flown from Dhaka with 71 passengers and crew crashed at the TIA in Nepal. 

Twenty-two people, including 11 Nepalis, survived the crash. Of the total passengers, 32 Bangladeshis, 33 were Nepalis, one Chinese and one from the Maldives. 

An official at the Forensic Department said they had sent body fluids of the cabin crew for tests to ascertain the alcohol levels and their health conditions.