All eight of the bodies recovered at the site where a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter crashed in Nepal last week have arrived in Kathmandu, where the “identification process … is ongoing,” the country’s military said Sunday.
The UH-1Y helicopter was delivering humanitarian aid after the devastating earthquake that struck the nation on April 25, killing thousands of people. Another strong earthquake hit Nepal on Tuesday afternoon, causing more damage and casualties.
The chopper’s wreckage was found Friday after an intense search in a rugged area of Gorthali, at about 3,400 meters (11,200 feet) elevation, according to the Nepalese Army.
The cause of the crash remained unknown, said Col. John Armellino, chief of staff for the American Joint Task Force 505 operating in Kathmandu. But radio transmissions indicated its crew was having some type of fuel problem before it lost contact about 72 kilometers (45 miles) east of the capital, Kathmandu.
Armellino said the investigation could take weeks or months.
Marine pilot, Nepali soldiers identified
The pilot, identified as 31-year-old Marine Capt. Chris Norgren of Wichita, Kansas, “loved to fly,” according to his father, Ron Norgren.
“He was a very compassionate and caring person,” his mother, Terri Norgren, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “He wanted to help people. That’s the whole reason he went over there. He told me ‘Mom, somebody’s got to do this. And this is what I’m supposed to be doing.'”
“He was doing things he loved,” Ron Norgren added. “He loved to help people and he loved to fly. And he was just incredible.”
Nepali officials identified that country’s two deceased soldiers on Sunday as Capt. Tapendra Rawal and Warrant Officer Basanta Titara.
Marine deaths won’t change U.S. mission
About 300 American personnel are on the ground in Nepal helping with earthquake relief efforts.
U.S. Marine Lt. Gen. John Wissler, commanding general on the ground in Nepal, said the deaths would not affect the U.S. Marine mission to assist with aid following the series of deadly earthquakes.
As of Sunday, the death toll from both earthquakes was more than 8,500, according to Laxmi Prasad Dhaka, Nepal’s Home Ministry spokesman.
More than 21,000 have been injured, he said.