NPR's Julie McCarthy, reporting from New Delhi, says the remains of all eight people aboard a U.S. Marine helicopter that went down in Nepal east of the capital, Kathmandu, have been recovered.

"Nepali special forces along with U.S. Marines and Air Force personnel were inserted into the crash site early Saturday. The Joint Task Force coordinating the U.S. military's disaster relief in Nepal said they are investigation why the [UH-1 ] Huey helicopter went down."

The aircraft went missing while delivering aid in the district of Dolakha on Tuesday. Contact with the chopper was lost shortly after a second quake hit the area.

The first of the bodies, including six Marines and two Nepalis, were recovered on Friday.

Lt. Gen. John Wissler, commander of the Marine-led joint task force, was quoted by The Associated Press as telling reporters in Kathmandu on Friday that his team could not immediately determine the cause of the crash or identify the bodies found.

"He described the crash as 'severe,' and said the recovery team at the site encountered extreme weather and difficult terrain," the AP says.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.