Kathmandu, April 21

A Nepali national, Parshuram Gautam, who has been living in Sri Lanka for 20 years, had a lucky escape as explosions occurred at Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo minutes after he left the hotel after having breakfast.

Nepal’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka Bishwambher Pyakuryal told THT over phone from Colombo that  Gautam, who looks after an apartment rented by a Nepali origin man living in the USA, Baikuntha Sharma, had gone to check the apartment. Gautam is a furniture trader, who often used to go to Shangri-La Hotel to check the apartment on Sharma’s behalf.

The ambassador added that no Nepali national was killed or suffered any injury in the series of explosions that rocked Sri Lanka today.

“We have created a messenger group for Nepali nationals living in Sri Lanka and have told them to inform the embassy of their situation. We have told them to stay indoors as security situation has deteriorated after series of bomb blasts,” Pyakuryal said.

“I am not sure if I will be able to open the embassy tomorrow. Our local staffers have told us that they might not be able to come to the office tomorrow as public transport might remain shut tomorrow as well due to curfew,” Pyakuryal added. He said he would ask the Sri Lankan government to provide security to the Nepali embassy.