Kerala CM expresses 'deep grief' after 8 Indians die due to possible gas leak in Nepal

Fifteen tourists from Kerala diedafter they fell unconscious due to gas leak from a heater in their room at a resort in Nepal.

Soon after they were found unconscious in their room, authorities airlifted them to a Kathmandu hospital where the staff declared them dead.

"All eight were airlifted and brought to hospital in Kathmandu. A doctor from the Indian mission was also immediately sent to the concerned hospital to check on the welfare of patients and to provide necessary assistance," the Indian Embassy stated. "We have now been informed that all eight patients did not survive," they added.

The victims were identified as Praveen Krishnan Nair, Saranya Sasi, Sreebhadra Praveen, Aarcha Praveen, Abhinav Saranya Nair, Ranjith Kumar Adatholath Punathil, Indu Lakshmi Peethambaran Ragalatha and Vyshnav Ranjith.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed "deep grief" over the incident, a release from the Chief Minister's Office said. On the basis of the directions given by the Chief Minister, NORKA (Non Resident Keralite Affairs) officials have got in touch with the Indian Embassy in Nepal.

The bodies are expected to be brought to the state tomorrow after post-mortem, the statement added.

The deceased - two couples and four children - were part of a group of 15 people travelling from Kerala to Pokhara, a popular mountainous tourist destination.

They were on their way back home and stayed at Everest Panorama Resort in Daman in Makawanpur district on Monday night. According to the manager at the resort, the guests stayed in a room and turned on a gas heater to keep themselves warm.

Although they had booked a total of four rooms, eight of them stayed in a room and remaining others in another room, the manager said, adding that all the windows and the door of the room were bolted from inside.

The Indian mission has assured all necessary assistance to the family members of the victims.

(With inputs from agencies)