UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has expressed profound shock over the assassination of Nepal's King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and ten other members of the royal family by Crown Prince Dipendra and appealed for calm and stability in Nepal, the statement said. A spokesman for the UN chief in a statement said, "I am deeply saddened by the tragedy."
Conveying his heartfelt condolences to the people of Nepal, he appealed for calm and stability in the country at this difficult period. The 29-year-old prince Dipendra shot dead King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and the others including his two siblings before killing himself.
The 55-year-old king had ruled Nepal since 1972, as an absolute monarch until a constitutional monarchy was introduced in 1990. Bureau Report