Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel and Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhana Raj Acharya are receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Kirtipur Hospital after suffering burn injuries during the inauguration of Visit Pokhara 2025 at Pokhara Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The incident occurred when balloons handed to them caught sparks and burst into flames. A live broadcast showed Minister Paudel rushing back to the stage, removing his coat as bodyguards and others gathered around him. Mayor Acharya reacted similarly.
After initial treatment in Pokhara, both were medevaced to Kathmandu and admitted to the Nepal Cleft and Burn Center at Kirtipur Hospital.
“The preliminary assessment indicates 5-6% burns. However, as the injuries are on their faces, there is a risk of damage to their windpipe and chest, necessitating close observation,” the hospital said in a statement.
In a separate incident on February 6, a cooking gas cylinder explosion at a restaurant in Kamalpokhari, Kathmandu, injured 11 people. Three of them succumbed to their injuries while receiving treatment at the same hospital. The remaining eight are still undergoing treatment.
This news has been updated.
(With inputs from RSS)
