US-Bangla plane crash: Relatives say Bangladesh embassy not helpful

Family members of passengers who died in Monday’s crash of US-Bangla flight in Kathmandu, Nepal, have complained that the Bangladesh embassy there is not helping them with the recovery of their loved ones' bodies. Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, Basimah Saifullah, sister of deceased cabin crew KHM Shafey, said: “The hospital authorities told us that we would be able to see the body after all forensic tests were completed. Bodies that have been identified will be released first.” When asked about any possible support from the embassy, she added: “The government or embassy officials have yet to provide us with any help here. US-Bangla Airlines is giving us some logistics support, but that is all. “Absolutely no help was offered to us by our government or the embassy. The doctors said we would be able to see the body after three to four more days.” Meanwhile, speaking on the issue, Bangladesh Ambassador to Nepal Mashfee Binte Shams said: “Most of the bodies that we have seen are 80% burnt. It will be quite difficult to identify these victims. So we are not letting the relatives see the bodies before autopsy.” The ambassador further said three more days would be needed to complete the autopsies and one more to identify the bodies. “We asked the relatives of the deceased to visit the Bangladesh embassy at 6:30pm on Wednesday to learn about the details of recovering bodies of their loved ones.” On Monday, Flight BS211 of US-Bangla Airlines carrying 71 people from Bangladesh crashed at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, killing at least 50 passengers and once again raising the issue of faulty signalling and communications at the airport.