NC lawmaker Bhandari airlifted to India for further treatment

Bhandari’s mother, who was also injured in the cooking gas cylinder explosion, passes away

Preliminary investigation reveals that cylinder explosion might have triggered by an electric short-circuit

KATHMANDU, Feb 17: Nepali Congress (NC) lawmaker Chandra Bhandari, who was injured in a gas cylinder explosion along with his mother late evening on Wednesday, has been taken to India for further treatment. His mother Hari Kala Bhandari breathed her last on Thursday morning while undergoing treatment at Kirtipur Burn Hospital.

Family sources said lawmaker Bhandari was flown to the Mumbai-based National Skin Burn Hospital by an aircraft belonging to Shree Airlines on Thursday afternoon as his health condition complicated.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, a six-member medical team comprising Dr Pradeep Tiwari (Critical Care Head), Dr Brihaspati (Anaesthesia and Critical Care), Dr Roshan Sharma, (Flight Doctor EMS) Dinesh Rai, (Paramedics ER), Sagar Maharjan, (Paramedics ER) and Raj Tamang (Paramedics ER) accompanied lawmaker Bhandari as he was flown to India for further treatment.

Lawmaker Bhandari and his mother Harikala Bhandari were injured when a cooking gas cylinder exploded in their house in Buddhanagar, Kathmandu. Police suspect that an electric short-circuit might have triggered fire in the kitchen as the gas cylinder was already leaking. Family sources said lawmaker Bhandari received burn injuries as he tried to save his mother.

Family members and neighbors had rushed both lawmaker Bhandari and his mother to Kirtipur Hospital following the incident. Unfortunately, the 86-year-old Harikala, who had sustained over 70 percent of burn injuries as a result of the explosion, passed away while undergoing treatment at the hospital on Thursday morning.

According to the director of Kirtipur Burn Hospital, Dr Nijima Tamrakar, Harikala passed away at 10:57 AM on Thursday.

Although lawmaker Bhandari sustained only about 25 percent burn injuries, his health condition was complicated as his lungs and airways were severely affected due to inhaling smoke. Lawmaker Bhandari was airlifted to Mumbai for better treatment as per the suggestion of the doctors involved in his treatment.

Earlier, it was said that the incident took place after the gas cylinder explosion occurred when the mother went to the kitchen and Bhandari was also injured while trying to save his mother. However, the preliminary investigation by the Nepal Police has shown that the fire actually started due to an electric short-circuit in the kitchen, which was allegedly filled with the gas leaking from the cooking gas cylinder.

According to the head of the District Police Range, Kathmandu, SSP Dan Bahadur Karki, preliminary investigation showed that the fire may have started due to the spark created when the switch of a light was turned on. Quoting lawmaker Bhandari's relative, SSP Karki said, "The mother of lawmaker Bhandari had informed family members that she had smelled gas leaks after they had finished having dinners. The kitchen was dark while she went to check the gas leak. When she switched on the kitchen light, the fire, it seems, broke out due to the electric short-circuit.”

SSP Karki also mentioned that the gas cylinder did not explode but the fire broke out due to gas leakage. “There has been no damage to the gas cylinder,” he said.

A separate police team of the Valley Crime Investigation Office had reached Bhandari's house on Thursday. The team has concluded that the gas cylinder might not have exploded but leaked.

Spokesperson for the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office, Somendra Singh Rathore, said, "It is not clear what caused the fire. But it is not that anyone set the fire.” He informed Republica that further investigation is currently underway with the help of experts.

Central spokesperson of Nepal Police, DIG Poshraj Pokharel said that it will take two to four days to get the incident investigation report. "The investigation into the fire incident is being overseen by DSP Nishan Srivastava of Baneshwar Police Circle,” he said. “An investigation is underway. Now, the facts on the ground found that there should be a lab test for the final report.”

Senior NC leaders including NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba had reached Burn Hospital in Kirtipur on Thursday morning after the news came to the media. Some NC leaders had reached the hospital on Wednesday night itself.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Devraj Ghimire also visited Bhandari at the hospital and inquired about his health with the doctors involved in the treatment. Also, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli had drawn the government's attention to leave no stone unturned for the treatment of Bhandari.

It is learnt that the Bhandari family is using Rajdhani Gas. The refilling industry of this gas cylinder is in Dharke, Dhading. The owner of the gas company is Kush Malli, who also happens to be the president of Nepal LP Gas Industry Association.