Kathmandu, February 15
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel and Mayor of Pokhara Metropolitan City Dhana Raj Acharya suffered burn injuries during the inauguration of Visit Pokhara Year, when hydrogen-filled balloons burst and exploded.
They are currently undergoing treatment at the Burn Hospital in Kirtipur.
Immediately after the incident in Pokhara, DPM Poudel and Mayor Acharya were airlifted to Kathmandu by helicopter.
Director of Kirtipur Hospital Kiran Kishor Nakarmi issued a press release in the evening saying that DPM Paudel and Mayor Acharya were admitted to intensive care unit.
The hospital said that it was treating Paudel and Acharya in the ICU as they had suffered about 5-6 per cent burn and due to burns on their faces, there is a possibility that their airways and lungs might be affected.
Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak went to the hospital to inquire about their health status.
Minister Lekhak met both of them and discussed their conditions with the doctors involved in their treatment.
After receiving the health update, Minister Lekhak told media persons that doctors were providing good care to both leaders. Paudel's burn injuries are not very deep, it's mostly on the surface. The treatment is going well, he said.
He mentioned that in the past, balloons were for such occasions but it was found to be dangerous. In the past, we used to fly balloons, but accidents can happen suddenly, he added.
Spokesperson for Pokhara Metropolis Moti Lal Timsina told THT that hydrogen-filled balloons were arranged to support a banner to fly in the air and they realized in hindsight that had the attempt to fly banner started only after sparking initiated by digital switches had fully subsided, the incident could have been averted.
