Three people died of encephalitis on Saturday at the Lumbini Zonal Hospital in Butwal town of west Nepal, the state run The Rising Nepal daily reported on Sunday.

"They were among the 29 encephalitis patients admitted at the hospital, some 100 km southwest of the capital Kathmandu," the English language daily reported, referring to the hospital statement.

According to the statement, 21 patients returned home after treatment and five others are still undergoing treatment at the hospital.

The number of encephalitis patients coming to other hospitals in Butwal town, including Siddharth Children and Women's Hospital, Universal Medical College and Bhim Hospital, has also gone up in the recent days, hospital sources told the daily.

The figure released by the Ministry of Health showed that 88 out of 1,264 encephalitis patients in Nepal died last year.

Source: Xinhua