Kathmandu, 30 Oct: About two thousand domestic and foreign tourists stranded in the Himalayan region of the country due to rain and snowfall have been rescued.
By Wednesday, one thousand five hundred local and domestic tourists and more than two hundred foreign tourists, who were stranded in various locations in the high Himalayan regions of Manang, Mustang, Myagdi, and Gorkha due to heavy snowfall during the main trekking season, have been safely rescued. The rescue of some tourists trapped in the snow is ongoing.
During monsoon-induced disasters, the state machinery was immediately mobilized for rescue operations, and the highest number of tourists were rescued from Manang. According to Manang’s Chief District Officer Navaraj Paudyal, by Wednesday, the rescue of all tourists stranded in areas like Tilicho, Khangsar, Pisang, Upper Manang, etc., in Manang has been completed.
He said, “More than fifteen hundred domestic and foreign tourists waiting for rescue in places like Tilicho and Upper Manang have been rescued. The rescue was carried out by inquiring and checking in every hotel in the upper regions. Except for a few tourists and locals who are staying there voluntarily, everyone else in the upper regions has been rescued. The rescued tourists have already reached their destinations like Chame, Besisahar, etc., by Wednesday.”
Mentioning that there was a lack of vehicles in the district after the roads were blocked due to snowfall, he informed that the safe tourists from Manang were sent to their destinations using 15 jeeps and two buses. He stated that the rescue was successful with the help of the Nepali Army’s new Bhairabi Force based in Manang, the Armed Police Force, and the local residents.
Joint Team in Rescue
A joint team of the Nepali Army, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Police has been deployed to rescue tourists heading towards Mustang via the Dhaulagiri circuit in Myagdi who were stranded due to snowfall.
Spokesperson of the Nepali Army, Rajaram Basnet, informed that a team has been deployed to rescue three foreigners and 12 Nepali citizens stranded in a valley while trekking on the Dhaulagiri circuit route. He said, “The rescue of 15 people stranded in the valley has started after the route was closed due to snowfall. All the tourists waiting for rescue are safe. The team involved in their rescue has also rescued seven Japanese and five Nepalis found stranded in Lekhark of Mustang.”
Twelve Nepalis and three British tourists were stuck in that valley after the trekking route was covered by continuous snowfall that started on Monday night while they were heading towards Marpha in Gharpajhong Gaupalika-2, Mustang, via the Italian base camp at Mudi in Dhaulagiri Gaupalika-4, Myagdi. The army has prepared to rescue them on Thursday.
Health Check-up of More Than 250
The Armed Police Force Nepal No. 33 Group Mustang has conducted free health check-ups for 250 people, including oxygen level checks for 90 women and 60 men, and blood pressure checks for 60 women and 40 men, informed Armed Police Force Spokesperson Shailendra Thapa. Among those who underwent health check-ups, problems like frostbite, headaches, nausea, and respiratory issues were observed. The Armed Police Force stated that their problems were identified and basic first aid was also provided.
Rescue Problem in Northern Gorkha
It has become difficult to rescue three Italian citizens and three Nepali mountaineers who were on a climbing expedition to Pangbari Himal, located on the border of Northern Gorkha and China. The Gorkha District Administration Office stated that it has become difficult to rescue them as contact with the six-member team has been lost since Monday evening. Gorkha’s Chief District Officer Ramuraj Kadariya informed that the team, which lost contact, had departed for the base camp of Pangbari Himal 11 days ago. He said, “They were supposed to return to the base camp by the scheduled date, but contact has not been established, possibly due to satellite phones not working or other reasons. Efforts are underway to understand the situation.”
He informed that although a helicopter is on standby for the rescue of the mountaineering team, it has not been able to fly due to bad weather.
