KATHMANDU, 21 April, 2021 (TON): The government body is responsible for the welfare of Nepali migrant workers, including repatriation of the dead; at least 19 bodies are still stuck abroad, according to the Foreign Employment Board.

The bodies remain stuck in labor destination countries because of flight issues, especially after the pandemic, and other administrative problems in those countries.

Subedi said, “The Himalayan Airlines does not have a wide-body plane, making it difficult for bringing back the bodies from Malaysia. Narrow-body aircraft do not have enough space for ferrying coffins.”

 “Only Nepal Airlines has wide-body planes which can bring many dead bodies in a single trip,” he added.

According to Din Bandhu Subedi, a spokesperson with the Board, four more bodies in Malaysia are awaiting repatriation. Likewise, there are 13 bodies of Nepali migrant workers in Saudi Arabia and two in Kuwait still waiting to be brought home.

However, the repatriation of bodies, which had stopped since March last year, could resume only after the government started chartered flights to labor destination countries to bring home stranded Nepali workers.