The five-member commission formed by the Nepali government to probe the Lukla air tragedy in which 18 people, mostly foreign nationals, died on Oct. 8, is to begin its investigation from Oct. 10.

The probe commission, headed by acting co-attorney general Puspa Raj Koirala, will start investigating the cause(s) that led to the terrible accident that shook Nepal's tourism industry on the eve of the Dashain festivals, which is also a peak tourist season.

The exact cause of incident is not known yet, but Yeti Airlines in its statement has quoted an eyewitness as saying that it was foggy at the time the accident took place.

Ranjit Singh Baral, member of the probe team, told a local radio station that the commission will begin its investigation by first going through the postmortem report of the victims who died in the air tragedy.

He said the probe team is flying to Lukla on the morning of Oct. 10 to visit the site of the accident.

Meanwhile, the government is preparing to submit the bodies of the foreign nationals who died in the air tragedy after finishing their autopsy.

The bodies are being kept at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital and will be submitted to German and Australian embassies in Kathmandu.

As many as 12 German nationals, two Australians and two Nepali passengers died in the accident along with co-pilot and a Nepali air hostess.

The government has asked the commission to submit its report on the incident within two months.

A Yeti Airlines Twin Otter had crashed on final approach at the Tenzing-Hillary airport, Lukla. The airport is gateway to Mt. Qomolangma (Mt. Everest), some 140 km east of Kathmandu.

International tourists are coming to Nepal at the beginning of October, the end of Nepali monsoon season.

Only one crew member, the pilot, survived the tragic accident. He is also undergoing treatment at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.