Rawal was one of the two Nepal Army personnel who had accompanied the US rescue team in a relief mission in earthquake-hit Dolakha district. All the eight members of the rescue team, including the six US Army men, were killed after their helicopter crashed at Ghorthali in Sindhuplachowk district.Although all eight bodies were brought to Kathmandu from the crash site soon after the incident, it took a while for the bodies to be sent to their hometowns because of the time taken in the DNA test required to identify the bodies.
The villagers and relatives, who had been awaiting Rawal's body since the crash, could not contain themselves and burst into tears soon after it was brought to their village.
Rawal's father, Bal Bahadur, 60, had to be airlifted to Kathmandu from the village for DNA identification. He returned to the village with his son's body on Monday, according to the bereaved family.
Chief District Officer Pitambar Ghimire, chief of Samsur Barrack, Ramesh Khadka and DSP Madhav Prasad Shrestha, the chief of district police office, Dailekh, were present in the village and expressed their heartfelt condolence to the bereaved family.
As per the family source, Rawal's funeral rites will be performed as per Hindu rituals at local Shreesthan khola on Tuesday.
The deceased captain was unmarried, and his family consists of his father, step-mother and an elder sister. Tapendra was intelligent at his studies and he had joined Nepal Army twelve years ago.
Meanwhile, a troop of Nepal Army offered gun salutes as the last tribute to Rawal in the capital on Monday.
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