World's shortest man, Nepal's Chandra B Dangi dies at 75

KATHMANDU: The world's shortest man, Chandra Bahadur Dangi, from Dang district of Nepal, died in the Samoa Islands, US territory in the South Pacific, where he was touring. He was 75.

Thaneswar Guragai, who himself is a Guinness World Record holder for the longest spinning of a basketball on the nose, confirmed that Dangi died on Thursday. Guragai had been assisting Dangi in various tour programmes.

"Chandra Bahadur Dangi's nephew, Dolakh, called me from the Samoa Islands and asked me to inform the family about the death," Guragai, who is in Kathmandu, told THT Online, "I am saddened by the death."

After falling sick, Dangi was admitted to a local hospital where he breathed his last at around 12:00 pm Nepal Standard Time today, according to Guragai.

The Lyndon B. Johnson Tropical Medical Center, Pago Pago of Samoa Islands is preparing to issue the death certificate before handing over Dangi's body to his family or their representative, he added.

Nepal's Ambassador to the United States, Arjun Karki, however, told THT Online over phone that the Nepali mission in Washington DC is yet to receive information about Dangi's death officially.

The Guinness World Records had recognised Dangi as the world's shortest man on February 26, 2012.

Dangi was 54.6 cm (21.5 inch) tall, at the time of verification by the Guinness team, when he was 72.

Besides being the shortest man, he also had a record of the world's shortest adult ever measured.