Nepal's Crown Prince Dipendra has been named the country's new king, state radio said Saturday in the first official announcement that the king and queen had died.

King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and their youngest son Prince Nirajan died Friday and the crown prince was in "serious condition" in hospital, the radio said.

"As the new king is in serious condition and being treated in the intensive care unit in hospital and unable to rule, Prince Gyanendra, middle brother of the late King Birendra, has been appointed regent," the radio said.

The brief announcement on official Nepalese radio made no mention of how the king and queen had died.

Nepalese officials said earlier Saturday that they had been gunned down Friday night at the royal palace here by the crown prince who then turned the gun on himself.

But the radio made no mention of the circumstances of the deaths and listed only four victims + the king and queen, their youngest son and the wounded crown prince.

Nepalese officials had said 12 people were killed in the shooting at the palace including the crown prince, who had been pronounced "clinically dead" in hospital.

There was no official confirmation of the motive behind the killings, but sources said there had been a bitter argument surrounding the crown prince's marriage plans

(China Daily 06/03/2001)