No survivors from US helicopter crash in Nepal earthquake region

Kathmandu: Wreckage of the US helicopter that went missing in Nepal amid earthquake rescue efforts on Tuesday has been found near the Chinese border, with three bodies recovered and the other five people on board feared dead.

Six Marines and two Nepalese army soldiers were believed to be aboard the aircraft, which went missing at 10pm local time (2pm BST) on Tuesday in the mountains of Nepal. Nepal's defence secretary said there were no survivors.

"As the helicopter has broken into pieces and totally crashed there is no chance of any survivors," said Ishwori Prasad Paudyal.

A US team identified the wreckage as that of the missing Marines UH-1Y Huey helicopter, the US military's Pacific Command said on Friday.

The crash wreckage was found around 8 miles north of the town of Charikot, Army Major Dave Eastburn, spokesman for US Pacific Command, said in a statement.

"The assessment of the site is ongoing and a thorough investigation will be conducted," he added.

The news came as stores reopened and traffic was returning to Nepal's capital three days after the Himalayan nation was shaken by a second major earthquake.

But thousands of people were still sleeping in tents scattered across the city on Friday, afraid that aftershocks might topple damaged homes.

Schools and colleges remained closed after Tuesday's magnitude-7.3 quake, which killed 117 people and injured 2,800. It struck just 2 1/2 weeks after the country was battered by a magnitude-7.8 quake that killed more than 8,200 people.

Government office buildings in Kathmandu have been badly hit, with many buildings developing cracks or collapsing altogether. Government officials from the National Planning Commission were working from a tent erected outside its building.

Outside Kathmandu, many roads linking the capital to outlying areas were heavily damaged.