Contaminated water at Nepal PM's house!

At least six ministers got jaundice after having contaminated water at GP Koirala's residence.

Six Nepali ministers are suffering from jaundice believed to have been caught from contaminated water at the prime minister's residence, Nepal's health minister told the agency on Friday.

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"Six ministers have been suffering from jaundice over the past few weeks. KP Oli (deputy prime minister and minister for foreign affairs) is quite seriously ill," said Amik Sherchan, a deputy prime minister and minister for health.

Two other ministers remain hospitalised but the other three have been discharged, Sherchan said.

One of the sick ministers, Hridayesh Tripathi, resigned on Monday over the government's handling of recent unrest in the southeast of the country.

An additional 12 staff from Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's residence have also contracted the liver disease which yellows the skin, Sherchan said.

Water samples have been taken for testing from the prime minister's house and also from the office that provides food and water to meetings in the residence, Sherchan said.

"Preliminary investigations have shown that it could have come from contaminated water," said Sherchan.

Nepal's 85-year-old prime minister is already in fragile health but has not caught jaundice, Sherchan said.

"They are thought to have contracted the disease a few weeks ago," the minister said.