Bizarre Versions of How Nepal Royals Died: “Though the streets of Kathmandu were mostly calm, there were

occasional protests against official explanations for the massacre, first

blamed on the crown prince himself and then on an automatic

weapon exploding by accident.

‘According to the information received by us, they were injured

when an automatic weapon suddenly exploded,’ state radio

announced Sunday…. The radio announcement replaced an earlier explanation given by

officials that Crown Prince Dipendra had shot his parents and then

himself in what media reports described as a row over his choice of

bride.

The 29-year-old prince, declared king by the Himalayan country’s

privy council Saturday, was still critically ill on Sunday, the radio said.

His uncle, Prince Gyandendra, named regent since the new king was

in a coma, also issued a statement suggesting the massacre was the

result of an automatic weapon going off by accident. He was out of

town at the time of the killings.” Reuters