Nepal Army Launches Rescue Mission for Six Indian Tourists Stranded by Snow Near Deepest Lake
Nepal security forces deploy a helicopter to rescue six Indian trekkers stranded in Shey-Phoksundo National Park following heavy Himalayan snowfall in Dolpa.
POLICY WIRE — Dolpa, Nepal — Nepali security forces are currently executing a rescue operation for six Indian nationals who have been trapped by intense snow accumulation in the Himalayas since Saturday afternoon.
The group, consisting of four men and two women, is currently located at Danigad within the Shey-Phoksundo National Park, situated in the remote northwestern region of Dolpa district.
\p
According to local administration, officials have successfully identified the group’s location, and an army helicopter is en route to perform the extraction.
Junu Dhakal, the district’s chief officer, informed PTI that they expect to complete the rescue shortly and noted the group is not being classified as missing since their position is confirmed.
While mobile service is unavailable in the area, Dhakal stated that the tourists are maintaining communication with Nepal Army personnel stationed within the national park.
The six individuals identified for rescue have been identified as Moumita Halder, Piyali Koley, Jajla Trivedi Kumar, Aditya Singha, Diplina Bishwas, and Rajesh De.
The expenses associated with the helicopter mission will be covered by Nepal’s Disaster Management Fund.
Local police in Dolpa originally requested the aerial support after losing contact with the party of trekkers.
Dhakal revealed that authorities had implemented a ban on travel to Upper Dolpa starting on October 29 due to deteriorating weather, yet the group bypassed these restrictions and warnings from security staff and their own guide.
The trekkers reportedly separated from their guide and proceeded toward the lake as the storm intensified, prompting the guide to alert the district office on Saturday evening regarding their potential entrapment.
Continuous snowfall has hit Dolpa for several days, disrupting high-altitude life and increasing hazards for travelers, leading local officials to plead for extreme caution.
Nepal’s meteorological department had forecasted rain and snow across the high Himalayas starting Thursday night, driven by a weather system from Cyclone Arnab which hit India’s Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday.
The national disaster authority placed the country on high alert from October 29 to 31, specifically noting parts of Karnali province for potential snowfall.
This is not the first such incident; last October, a different cyclone left approximately 1,500 trekkers, including 200 foreigners, stranded on buried trails in Manang district before they were rescued.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
