New Delhi: Six Indian tourists stranded by heavy snowfall on a trekking route towards Nepal’s Shey-Phoksundo lake have been located in the Dolpa district, with authorities mobilizing a helicopter rescue on Sunday. Initially reported missing after communication broke down, the group is now believed to be stranded in the Danigad area of Shey-Phoksundo rural municipality, according to updated accounts from district officials.
The group comprises four men and two women, whose journey through the remote Himalayan region was interrupted when snow blocked mountain trails. DD India reported that helicopter evacuation was underway, although the reports available at the time of writing did not establish that all six had been brought to safety.
The chief district officer of Dolpa, Junu Hamal Dhakal, said authorities had identified the area where the tourists were stranded and were awaiting a Nepal Army helicopter. Her clarification revised the earlier account that the group’s whereabouts remained unknown.
“We cannot say they are missing, as we have located the area,” Dhakal said. Identifying their location, however, did not amount to confirmation that rescuers had reached them or completed their evacuation.
Contact lost on snow-covered mountain route
The tourists were travelling from Dho towards Phoksundo lake when they became stranded, with initial reports placing them around the Numa La and Baga La mountain passes. These remote sections of the route became difficult to negotiate following heavy snowfall, while poor communications complicated efforts to establish the group’s condition.
According to the district administration’s account, their Nepali guide alerted officials on October 31 after becoming concerned that they had been trapped by the snow. Communication deteriorated that night and was completely disrupted by the following morning, prompting efforts to organize their rescue.
Officials said the tourists had continued towards the lake despite warnings from security personnel, their guide and local residents about the conditions ahead. The report also said they had proceeded without the guide, although the tourists’ own account of the circumstances was not available.
The chairman of Shey-Phoksundo rural municipality, Dhawa Samduk Gurung, said the mountain passes between wards 4 and 8 lacked mobile phone coverage. That communications gap initially prevented officials from determining where the tourists were sheltering and whether they needed immediate assistance.
Helicopter rescue and ground deployment
A Nepal Army team was deployed to assist the search, while police sought helicopter support as deep snow and adverse weather hindered access. Subsequent reporting by the Kathmandu Post identified the stranded group’s location as Danigad, in ward 8 of Shey-Phoksundo rural municipality.
Dhakal said arrangements were being made to meet the rescue costs through the Disaster Management Fund. The administration also urged residents and visitors to remain in safe locations, warning that continuing bad weather could create further risks in the district’s higher reaches.
A district administration release identified the tourists as Moumita Halder, Piyali Koley, Jajla Trivedi Kumar, Aditya Singha, Diplina Bishwas and Rajesh De. The reports reviewed did not provide a verified medical assessment of the group or confirm their evacuation destination.
Snowfall disrupts the wider region
The disruption extends beyond the route taken by the six Indians, with sustained snowfall reported in the higher areas of Shey-Phoksundo, Dolpo Buddha and Chharka Tangsong rural municipalities. Lower-lying parts of Dolpa have also experienced rain, according to Nepal’s Ujyaalo news service.
The district administration had already advised against trekking through vulnerable parts of Upper Dolpa in anticipation of deteriorating weather. Its renewed appeal asks visitors to avoid hazardous routes and stay in secure locations while the adverse conditions persist.
Figures cited by local media showed that 244 tourists had reached Upper Dolpa, including 149 Nepali nationals, 44 visitors from South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation countries and 51 from elsewhere. These figures describe tourist arrivals in the region and should not be interpreted as the number stranded or requiring rescue.
The Phoksundo lake lies at roughly 3,600 metres within Shey-Phoksundo National Park, a remote protected landscape in northwestern Nepal. The Nepal Tourism Board lists the lake, Dho village, Ringmo village and the region’s monasteries among its principal attractions, drawing trekkers into terrain where the present snowfall and communications failures have complicated rescue efforts.