Nepal

The government has decided to take necessary steps to repatriate the body of Nirakar Pandey, a Birtamod native, who died in a fire that broke out in a Cambodian hotel.

Briefing reporters at a news conference on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel said the Cabinet decided on Thursday to bear all the expenses for the repatriation.

Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal met the family members of Nirakar and expressed commitment to take initiative to repatriate the body. 

Pandey died after jumping off the 12th floor of the Grand Diamond City Hotel and Casino in Cambodia when the hotel caught fire on the night of December 29.

He talked to his family via video call for hours after the fire started. 

In the video that has since gone viral, Pandey can be heard telling his family back home that he had to jump out the window to save his life. The worried family members kept asking him to be patient and wait for rescue. Pandey jumped to his death from the 12th floor when he saw that no one was coming to help him.