Dec 30, Kathmandu- Nirakar Pandey of Jhapa died in a massive fire at a casino near the border of Cambodia and Thailand.

40-year-old Nirakar Pandey, a resident of Jhapa Birtamod Municipality 1, died when a fire broke out at the Grand Diamond City Hotel and Casino in Poipet, Cambodia on Wednesday night.

According to the international media, 19 people including Pandey died and more than 60 people were injured when the casino caught fire. Pandey is the son of Agni Prasad Pandey, the ward chairman of Birtamod Municipality-1.

According to the information given by Lal Singh Khadka, president of NRN Cambodia with the help of Deepak Oli, president of the International Jhapali Samaj, Nirakar died when the hotel caught fire.

He even requested NRN Khadka to save him when the fire was not brought under control for hours. He also talked to his family members and friends through video calls from time to time.

He jumped from the 12th floor of the hotel to save himself when all the exit doors of the hotel were closed and there was no chance of survival. Before jumping from the hotel, he had a tearful conversation with his family for over an hour.

In his video conversation, he reminded his 9-year-old son Armaan and said, "Father always loves. I love you a lot, No matter where I am, I will always remember you and love you. Help everyone. Love your mother, take care of her. Respect your elders. You should not cheat or defraud anyone, be kind to everybody. You have to become a good person when you grow up. Especially never offend your maternal uncles. Don't upset the maternal aunts. They have done so much for you. My dear, you will become a great personality. You are wise. And there is Dinesh Silwal, whom you call elder father. Although he is younger than me by age, I call him younger brother and he calls me brother. I will respect him very much. I did everything I could, I'm sorry I cannot do more than this. Be kind to your brothers and your sisters. Always love them".

He asked his son to love and respect other members of the family and relatives. According to a family source, the last call he gave to his son was not to deceive anyone but to become wise.

Oli, the president of the International Jhapali Samaj, has informed that after learning that Pandey from his home district Jhapa was caught in a fire, despite using all the networks, he was unable to save him. He said that Pandey's body is currently kept on ice.