Sunday, September 25, 2011

Dr Mehta's last week in Nepal turns fateful. Buddha Air Beech 1900D, 9N-AEK, Flight U4-103. Kathmandu.

KATHMANDU, Sept 26: As it was their last week in Nepal, Dr Pankaj Mehta, an official at UNICEF country office, and his wife Dr Chaya Mehta wanted to make the best use of their remaining time in Kathmandu and had embarked on the ill-fated mountain flight of Buddha Air on Sunday.

“He was supposed to leave Nepal next week for the Philippines to head the Health Department of UNICEF,” said an official at UNICEF who is known to Mehta, a health advisor at the UN´s children´s agency. He was initially posted at the UNICEF Regional Office before he was posted at the country office.

“They had planed to visit Lumbini next week before they left Nepal,” the official further said.

The Mehatas are survived by two sons, one studying in the final year of medicine at BP Koirala Institute of Health and Sciences, Dharan.

“He was a through gentleman,” the official remembered Mehta, whose wife was an ophthalmologist

As he was leaving next week, UNICEF had planned a farewell for Mehta on Friday. The Ministry of Health and Population had already organized a farewell function for Mehta.

Meanwhile, the eight Indian nationals -- M Maruthachalam, M Manimaran, AK Krisunan, VM Kankasabesan, T Dhansekaran, Kattoor Mahalingam, Meenakshi Sundaram and K Thyagarajan -- had come to Nepal in a group for a three-day holiday.

According to Phurba Sherpa, sales manager at Hotel Grand where the victims were staying, the Indian nationals had come to Nepal on Saturday and had booked the hotel for three nights. They were to return India on Tuesday.

“They were the members of the Tiruchirappalli Centre Builders´ Association of India,” said Phurba, adding, “Some of them were in their fifties and others in their sixties.”

The hotel handed over their luggage to the Indian embassy in presence of the Kalimati Police.

The Indian Embassy, in a statement, has expressed its grief over the death of Indian nationals. Embassy Spokesperson Apoorva Srivastava said the embassy will provide all assistance for the prompt evacuation of the remains of the Indian nationals killed in the accident.

Likewise, Uejima Toshinori, who was also killed in the accident, was a Japanese national. US national Natalie Neinan had come to Nepal with Niranjan Karmacharya, Sarada Karmacharya and Jagajan Karmacharya and died along with the Karmacharyas. She was from Los Angeles, according to the travel agency where she had booked the tickets.

Jagajan is also an American national. Andrew Wade was another American killed in the incident.

US Embassy Spokesperson Heather Steil told Republica that the embassy is in touch with the Nepali authorities to confirm the identity of the Americans. “The consular officials will reach out to their families and offer whatever service we can provide,” she said.

http://www.myrepublica.com

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