KATHMANDU: Bir Hospital announced today that the condition of 25-year-old burn patient Ganesh Nepali is highly volatile and could collapse at any moment.

Nepali is currently on life support in the Burn ICU with deep tissue burns covering 55% to 60% of his body, heavily impacting his face, head, neck, chest, and arms.

A specialized 21-member medical team, led by Dr. Piyush Dahal, noted that the fire severely compromised Nepali’s respiratory tract, making the next 24 to 72 hours exceptionally critical.

Due to the extreme risk, the government has temporarily suspended plans to airlift him to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.

While air ambulance logistics were finalized, doctors concluded that transferring him on a ventilator poses too high of a fatal risk. The state remains on standby to fund and execute the flight as soon as he stabilizes.

The life-threatening injuries follow a tragic incident on Thursday afternoon outside the Department of Passports in Tripureshwar, Kathmandu.

Nepali, a ride-share driver from Mugu, attempted self-immolation following a heated verbal altercation with Kathmandu Metropolitan City municipal police, who had clamped a wheel lock on his motorcycle over a parking dispute.

When city police refused to release the vehicle and summoned a tow truck, a distressed Nepali siphoned petrol from his fuel tank, poured it over himself, and ignited the fire.

Nearby police personnel quickly extinguished the flames and rushed him to the hospital.

Family members noted that Nepali was under immense economic stress while trying to manage household expenses and prepare for foreign employment.