Accident: A former Bhutanese guide died in Hamburg, Germany on April 20 when the ground floor of the hotel he was staying in caught fire.

The purpose of his visit is not known but some sources from the industry said that the man who was in his early thirties was in Germany to establish business contacts as he was said to be operating a travel agency in Bhutan.

While the Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators is yet to find out if the deceased was a tour operator, Guides Association of Bhutan (GAB) officials confirmed that he was a former guide.

However, GAB officials said that the deceased had not renewed his guide license for about three years, which means the license automatically gets cancelled.

The former guide was from Gelephu.

International media reported that a fire at a hotel in Hamburg had left one man dead and several people hospitalised. Police were quoted saying that they were alerted to the fire at the small hotel near the northern German city’s central station early Wednesday.

According to media reports, 10 guests were rescued but the 32-year-old man who was staying in a third-floor room could not be rescued. Six of the 10 rescued guests were admitted to hospitals for observation after inhaling smoke.

Initially the deceased could not be identified. However, he was later identified as a guide and tour operator from Bhutan and his family was informed of the mishap with help from the Bhutanese embassy in Belgium.

Kinga Dema