US-Bangla plane crash: 23 bodies to be brought back to B'desh today

The bodies of 23 Bangladeshi nationals from the devastating US-Bangla plane crash that killed 49 people last week in Nepal, will be brought back to Bangladesh, said an official on Monday.

"A cargo plane of Bangladesh Air Force, carrying the bodies, is scheduled to land at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at around 4 pm", said Kamrul Islam, general manager (marketing support and public relations) of US-Bangla Airlines.

Prior to this, a 'namaz-e-janaza' was held for the 23 nationals at the Bangladesh Embassy in Kathmandu on Monday morning, according to US-Bangla Airlines Chief Executive Officer Imran Asif, The Dhaka Tribune reported.

Bangladeshi and Nepali authorities announced on Sunday that the identification process of the deceased nationals was completed.

Last Monday, 49 people were killed after the plane evaded the runway at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport and crashed into a fence on the ground and burst into flames.

The plane, which was en route to Kathmandu from Dhaka, had 33 Nepali, 32 Bangladeshi and one passenger each from China and the Maldives.

Other 21 passengers out of total 71 (Including crew member) in the US-Bangla plane are undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Kathmandu.

The reason behind the crash of the ill-fated aircraft is yet to be established, but the rescuers and other aviation staffs have recovered the black box of the flight.