US authorities will on Friday start retrieving the bodies of two Thai students killed when their car hurtled over a cliff on the way to a national park in California more than a month ago, according to the Thai consulate-general in Los Angeles.
A post on the consulate's Facebook account said it was informed on Thursday by the Fresno County Sheriff’s office that the recovery would begin at 6am (8pm Thai time).
The Thai students, identified as Pakkapol Chairattanasongporn, 28, and Thiwadee Saengsuriyarit, 24, were travelling to Kings Canyon National Park, California, in a rental car that went off the road and over a cliff on July 26.
The wreckage is trapped stuck on rocks in the middle of the fast-flowing river.
It was not known how long the retrieval would take, the consulate said. The victims' family members and consulate staff were advised to arrive there at 8-9 am.
The consulate has sought permits from local authorities for Buddhist monks to perform rites at the scene of the accident, in line with the families' wishes.
After the bodies were recovered they would undergo post-morten examination and identification, which should take no more than 72 hours, the consulate said.
Cremation ceremonies for the two victims will be at Pimarn Mortuary in Los Angeles.
The very rugged nature of the wild country and bad weather stalled earlier efforts to recover the bodies.