Kathmandu, March 17

Grieving family members of Ekta Adhikari, who died in the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 crash on March 9 near the town of Bishoftu, are preparing to perform her final rites. The family decided to do so as they have lost hope of receiving her remains any time soon.

Ekta’s uncle Ishwar Babu Adhikari said they had decided to perform her final rites without further delay as the chances of receiving her remains were slim.

Ishwar Babu also informed that Ekta’s father was preparing to go to Ethiopia to collect his daughter’s remains. Ekta was working with World Food Programme and was stationed in Ethiopia. She was a permanent resident of Palungtar Municipality and was residing in Gorakhkali Municipality of Gorkha district before moving to Ethiopia seven months ago.

The UN System has informed the family that Ekta’s remains will be sent to Nepal after DNA verification, but there is no information regarding how long the process will take.