Nepali tourists rescued from heavy Snow at Mustang-Dolpa border
The rescued tourists, Manish GC from Parbat and Santosh Kunwar from Myagdi, had been trapped for six days due to severe snowfall while traveling to Upper Dolpa.
KATHMANDU: Two Nepali tourists stranded in heavy snow at Chharka Bherol, on the Mustang-Dolpa border, were safely rescued by helicopter on Wednesday morning.
The operation was coordinated by the Mustang District Administration Office with support from the Nepali Army’s Indra Baks Battalion, using an Air Diagnostic helicopter.
The rescued tourists, Manish GC from Parbat and Santosh Kunwar from Myagdi, had been trapped for six days due to severe snowfall while traveling to Upper Dolpa.
According to Mustang Chief District Officer Vishnu Prasad Bhusal, the tourists had initially stayed in Santa village, Ward No. 5, of the Baragung Muktichhetra in Mustang before proceeding toward Chharka in Upper Dolpa.
Adverse weather forced them to remain stranded until Oct 26, when snowfall subsided and they began their return journey to Mustang with a local construction worker, Vikas Rokaya.
Rokaya, being a local, was able to navigate back to Santa village, but GC and Kunwar, located at Chharka Bherol at an altitude of 5,000 meters, could not find the trail and remained stranded for four days.
Rokaya alerted local authorities via satellite phone about the stranded tourists, prompting the army-led rescue mission.
CDO Bhusal confirmed that the Nepali Army team reached the location and evacuated the tourists safely by helicopter.
Manish GC expressed relief, noting that the heavy snowfall had left them stranded on the Mustang-Dolpa border for several days before the coordinated rescue operation ensured their safety.
