Indian national arrested after balloon explosion at event injures Nepal deputy PM

An Indian national has been arrested in Nepal after Deputy Prime Minister Bishnu Paudel sustained minor injuries due to the explosion of balloons at a tourism event.

The Nepal police said that the accused was responsible for filling hydrogen gas in the balloons that exploded during the inauguration ceremony of ‘Visit Pokhara Year 2025’, where the Deputy PM was present.

बेलुन फुटेर आगो सल्किँदा अर्थमन्त्री विष्णु पौडेल र पोखरा महानगरपालिकाका प्रमुख धनराज आचार्य घाइेत भएका छन्। pic.twitter.com/ECIt4H3kuo

— Bipin Sapkota (@bipinsapkota213) February 15, 2025

The arrested Indian national has been identified as Kamlesh Kumar.

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Along with Paudel, the Mayor of Pokhara Metropolitan City, Dhanraj Acharya, was also present at the ceremony.

The arrest came after Deputy Prime Minister Paudel and Mayor Dhanraj Acharya sustained minor burn injuries due to the explosion of hydrogen-filled balloons.

The balloons, after being released, touched the lit candles and caused an explosion during the ceremony. Paudel was airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment.

The hydrogen-filled balloons caught fire because they were too close to the candles.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Basanta Sharma said that after the arrest, a case was registered against 41-year-old Kumar in the Kaski district court.

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The video of the incident went viral, with many people sharing it on social media. The footage shows the balloons bursting into a big explosion after hitting the candle flames.