Former Nepalese prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala, the architect of the peace negotiations that ended a decade of Maoist insurgency, died Saturday after suffering from respiratory problems for nearly a fortnight. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described him as 'one of Nepal's tallest leaders and an elder statesman of South Asia'.

A private TV channel and a leading media house said in separate reports, quoting unnamed family and party sources, that the octogenarian leader who fell unconscious early morning passed away soon after noon.

Earlier Saturday, alarm and concern began to spread like wildfire in Nepal after Koirala slipped into a coma.

'The passing away of Shri Koirala marks the end of an era in Nepalese politics. Shri Koirala had an enlightened vision of India-Nepal relations and worked sincerely to bring the people of the two countries closer together,' Manmohan Singh said in his condolence message.