2 Italian tourists found dead in Nepal hotel

KATMANDU — Police in the Nepalese capital say they have found the bodies of two Italian tourists inside a hotel room.

Police official Umesh Raj Joshi said the man and woman were found dead late Tuesday. An investigation is underway.

Hotel owners alerted police after the tourists did not respond to their calls. Police officers broke the windows and found the bodies lying on the bed.

The room was locked and poorly ventilated and the windows were taped shut.

Gas and kerosene heaters are commonly used in Nepal during the winter because of shortage of electricity. These heaters are dangerous if used in closed rooms and can cause suffocation and poisoning.

Nepal gets about half a million tourists every year and they are a major source of foreign currency.