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Nepal Government Gives Official Report of Royals' Deaths

Aired June 3, 2001 - 10:07   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LINDA STOUFFER, CNN ANCHOR: In Nepal today, an official mourning period following the massacre of eight members of the royal family. And now word comes from Kathmandu that the shooting of the king, the queen and several relatives was accidental.

So, joining us on the phone with the very latest from Kathmandu is CNN's Kasra Naji.

Kasra, hello. What's the latest on all of this.

KASRA NAJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Linda, people here are trying to digest and understand this new version of events that the officials have given, the palace has given. The palace and the officials have completely changed their story now.

Earlier, we had named officials and also sources close to the palace who spoke on the condition of anonymity, saying that on Friday night, the family, the royal family gathered for a dinner party. The crown prince walked in with an automatic weapon and started firing and he shot everyone before shooting himself. That was the earlier version.

But today, we are hearing that no, it was all the result of an accident. The first indication of this came from the regent, who is the acting king at the moment, the brother of the former king, the late king, and he said in a statement which was read on the radio, saying that it was an all the result of an accident.

And, a short time ago I talked to officials at the palace. They were saying the same thing, repeating the same story, saying that it was all the result of an accidental burst of an automatic weapon at a family gathering.

So, it's all very bizarre, actually. Many supporters of the monarchy and the monarchs here are willing to accept this because all along they believed that the crown prince was a good man. But there are also those people who are very skeptical and they fear that the truth may have also become another casualty in all this -- Linda.

STOUFFER: Well, Kasra, as they explain this as an accident now, is there any official explanation for why the gun was there and how an accident like that could happen and kill so many people at once?

NAJI: Well, I don't know. I mean, I asked the official, the court official, that I spoke to, and I said how come there is an automatic weapon at this small family gathering. And he said, it just happened, and somebody -- it just, automatic -- there was a burst of automatic fire. And according to him, eight people were killed, including the queen, the king, their son, their daughter, the two sisters of the king and six others were injured, 14 people altogether.

STOUFFER: And Kasra, you said that some people are a little bit skeptical about all of this, but is that leading to anything or are they angry about what they're hearing now, about this official version?

NAJI: Well, we haven't seen any reaction yet. The people I've talked to, I said earlier, some people are willing to accept this because all along they couldn't believe it anyway, to begin with. And there are others who fear that the truth may never be known now. And, obviously, the attempt by the palace is basically a damage control exercise. They want to make sure the image of the monarchy in this country is not undermined, Linda.

STOUFFER: Kasra Naji with the latest from Kathmandu. Thank you very much for that update. No matter which version you look at, it's an incredible story either way.

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