US-Bangla plane crash: Bangladesh medical team reaches Nepal

A medical team sent by Bangladesh has reached Nepal to collect DNA samples from deceased Bangladeshi nationals who died in the US-Bangla BS211 plane crash in Kathmandu. Bangladesh Ambassador to Nepal Mashfee Binte Shams has confirmed the matter to the correspondent on Thursday. Earlier in the day, the six-member medical team and two CID officials left Dhaka for Nepal on a Bangladesh Biman flight at 11:15am. According to sources, a nine-member medical team was supposed to leave for Nepal, but three members could not do so because of visa complications. The remaining members of the medical team will leave for Kathmandu at a later time. The team members are- Dhaka Medical College and Hospital’s (DMCH) Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit Associate Professor Dr Lutfor Quader Lenin, Forensic Medicine Department Associate Professor Dr Sohel Mahmud, DMCH Associate Professor Dr Hossain Imam, Professor Dr Monsur Hossain, Dr AKM Ferdous Rahman and Dr Md Abdullah Al Mamun. The medical team spoke with the correspondent at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport before the flight. When asked about the length of the visit, Dr Sohel Mahmud said: “We do not have a set timeframe. We will visit Nepal, observe the situation there and set our plans accordingly. “We will provide assistance to the Nepalese doctors. It is the sole purpose of our visit.” At least 50 people, including 26 Bangladeshis, were killed when the US-Bangla Airlines aircraft crashed and burst into flames in Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport on March 12. The plane was carrying 71 people, including four cabin crews. Of the passengers, 36 were from Bangladesh, 33 from Nepal and one each from China and the Maldives. Speaking to the correspondent over telephone earlier, Bangladesh Ambassador to Nepal Mashfee Binte Shams said: “We have held meetings with local forensic experts. “They have told us that in such accidents, DNA test is needed to identify at least 10% of the deceased victims. The rest will have to be identified by other means, such as using dental records.” Commenting on the current situation in Nepal, she added: “The local morgues not only contain the bodies of Bangladeshi nationals, but of Nepalese nationals as well. The local authorities have made it clear that bodies cannot be viewed before examinations.”This article was first published on banglatribune.com