Kathmandu’s tallest building, the five-star Hilton Hotel, has been reduced to a charred ruin after protesters set fire to it two days ago.
The hotel opened in July 2024 and cost around S$116 million to build, reported the Hindustan Times.
Photos and videos online showed the former landmark blackened and smouldering.
It was designed to withstand seismic activity and featured state-of-the-art earthquake-resistant infrastructure, according to Nation Thailand.
The Hilton Kathmandu is reportedly linked to the son of Nepali congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba, according to Nepali media Khabarhub., although this was denied in a report on May 11.
Nearby establishments were also destroyed in the arson attack.
Angry protesters in the so-called “Gen Z protests” have so far set fire to a slew of important buildings, including the Parliament building, the Supreme Court, and the homes of politicians.
They also burnt down the residence of then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who recently resigned, and torched the home of former Prime Minister Rajyalaxmi Chitrakar.
His wife, who was in the house, later died.
The protests began after the Nepali government moved to institute a controversial social media ban on September 4.
The ban, which would have affected 26 platforms, including Facebook and YouTube, led to accusations that the government was trying to “silence” the people, BBC reported.
Anger has been brewing for years about Nepal’s worsening youth unemployment crisis, growing inequality, and alleged corruption.
