Remains of 21 persons missing since April quake found in Nepal
KATHMANDU: Authorities in Nepal have recovered remains of 21 persons reportedly buried in an avalanche triggered by the devastating earthquake that struck the Himalayan nation in April this year.
The bodies, which were in a decomposed state, were found by a team comprising army and police personnel recently from Langtang in Rasuwa district close to the Tibet border.
A report by state-run Rastriya Samachar Samiti quoting local police officers said that most of the bodies were of local residents who had gone missing following the avalanche. Fifteen bodies have been handed over to families of the deceased after identification while the others sent for DNA tests to confirm identity.
According to chief district police officer Abadesh Bista whereabouts of 85 more persons of the 300 who were buried in the avalanche are still unknown.
Fifty five bodies including those of four foreigners were recovered from the same area in June. Langtang is a popular trekking route and is visited by hundreds of tourists each year.
Nearly 9,000 people were killed in the April 25 earthquake measuring 7.9 on Richter scale. It was followed by another quake measuring 7.6 on Richter scale on May 12. Nepal is yet to formally start operations of the rehabilitation authority set up to rebuild and reconstruct.