DHAKA: Nine Nepali players, including judo gold medal hopeful Debu Thapa, were injured in Dhaka today when their hotel lift crashed, hours before the 11th South Asian Games opened in the Bangladeshi capital. The Imperial Hotel elevator carrying the entire seven-member Nepali judo team, an official Dam Bahadur Basnet, and two weightlifters crash-landed on the ground floor this noon. The injured are Debu, who had won a silver medal in the 10th South Asian Games (63kg), Kaluman Tamang (above 100kg) and Ramesh Magar (66 kg), who remain hospitalised. Kaluman and Ramesh injured their legs while Debu aggravated the shoulder injury she was carrying coming into the tournament. The 10th SA Games bronze medallist Radha Devi Rai (52 kg), Parsuram Chaudhary (60 kg), Rajan Joshi (above 100 kg) and Deepak Krishna Shrestha (73 kg), along with lifters Gopal Bahadur Shrestha (above 105 kg) and Gyan Bahadur Shrestha (94 kg) sustained with minor injuries. Debu was distraught that she would not be able to compete in the tournament. “I am feeling great pain,” added the judoka. Gyan Bahadur said they were praying for the life while the lift was falling freely. “We held each others’ hands. We escaped with minor injuries because we were able to stand still but Debu was not so lucky as she lost her footing and fell on to the floor before the elevator hit the ground,” said Gyan. The mismanagement of the local organising committee and the indifference of the Nepali authorities made matters worse. The injured players were left crying with the pain for about half-an-hour until finally the ambulance arrived on the hotel premises. Ironically, Member Secretary Hari Babu Chaudhary was very much in the hotel when the mishap occurred but left before the ambulance arrived. He was even heard saying players’ safety was not his concern. Debu, Ramesh and Radha Devi would not be able to compete in the games, while others may be able to take part in the regional meet. Weightlifting coach Tilak Raut said the two lifters will compete in their respective categories but would certainly not perform to their potential. Nepal is set to compete in six weightlifting categories, others being 10th SA Games gold medallist Kamal Bahadur Adhikari (69 kg), Puntilal Yadav (105 kg), Hem Shankar Chaudhary (56 kg) and Bikash Thapa (62 kg). The hotel manager Mehboob alleged that the mishap occurred as the lift was carrying weight beyond its capacity. But it was found that the elevator neither had an electronic alert system nor was there any notice in the lift stating the maximum number of people it can hold.