Mumbai: Nihal Bitla, the 15-year-old from Bhiwandi who made headlines across the world because of his rare genetic disorder called progeria, passed away in his native town of Karimnagar, Telangana, on Monday night.

Progeria is characterised by rapid aging among children; reports from the Progeria Research Foundation in Boston said Nihal had been aging eight times faster than usual. Actor Amitabh Bachchan had portrayed a “progeria child” in a film, Paa, in 2009. Dinesh Chindarkar, who is the foundation’s representative in Mumbai, said Nihal’s family had gone to Telangana for a wedding.

“He fell ill in the evening and was rushed to a local hospital. His father, Shrinivas Bitla, told me he suffered a stroke and passed away around 11.30pm,” Chindarkar said. He said that Nihal and his family were helpful to other affected families.

(Agencies)