Nepal air crash victim told family she was pregnant days before boarding flight

16 January 2023 , 17:10

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Elena Banduro told her family she was pregnant days before she died in Nepal (Image: social media/e2w)

A victim of the Nepal plane crash had told her family that she was pregnant just days before the tragic flight.

Elena Banduro, 33, from Moscow, was flying to meet her partner Maxim when she died in the horror crash on Sunday.

Her grief-stricken sister Ksenia said the travel blogger had done an ultrasound scan and discovered she was pregnant just days before the tragedy.

The woman explained: “She could see the arms and legs of the baby, the outline. They were expecting a girl.”

The blogger's distraught partner Maxim was reportedly scouring hospitals and morgues in the desperate hope she had survived the crash.

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The tragic blogger, who worked as a social media manager and travelled widely, uploaded an excited post about her trip just moments before the tragedy with the caption: "Go to Nepal!"

Nepal air crash victim told family she was pregnant days before boarding flight

The last selfie Elena posted before the tragedy (social media/e2w)

Elena was travelling to see her partner Maxim (social media/e2w)

Her social media was full of messages of condolences, and she was described as “the brightest, kindest soul we knew”.

All 72 people on board the tragic flight are feared dead, with four still unaccounted for, according to officials in Nepal.

Another Russian victim, Viktoria Altunina, 34, was a teacher from Rostov-on-Don.

She reportedly took the picture - her last - of queuing passengers around one hour before the crash.

She died with her husband Viktor Lygin, 38, and his cousin Yuri Lygin.

The tragic blogger was expecting a girl, her sister said (social media/e2w)

Her social media was full of messages of condolences (social media/e2w)

Like Elena and her partner, she and her husband had been living outside Russia for much of the duration of the war in Ukraine, although their reasons were not clear.

Elena had lived recently in Kazakhstan but travelled widely including to Sri Lanka, both popular destinations with Russians during Vladimir Putin’s war.

Viktoria had the slogan “Travel as a way of life” on her social media.

Bloknot media in her native Rostov-on-Don, close to the war zone, reported: “It is also known that the couple were not planning to return to Russia in the near future.”

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Rescuers inspect the wreckage of the plane (AFP via Getty Images)

A woman posted: "Viktoria - I was only talking to you yesterday. I loved these places you visited so much. I heard your name on Channel 1, on the list.

"My heart just sank! I texted you and there was no answer. I was hoping for a miracle. God, my dear, you're such a good person!"

Elena had posted excitedly about her latest trip, showing herself on a plane with the message in English: ‘Go to Nepal’.

Her social media is full of condolences. She was described as “the brightest, kindest soul we knew”.