6 Indian Tourists Stranded in Snow-Hit Shey-Phoksundo Rescued by Chopper
In a dramatic high-altitude evacuation in the upper reaches of the Himalayas, emergency responders in Nepal successfully rescued six Indian tourists—comprising two women and four men—on Monday morning after they were left stranded by sudden and heavy snowfall in the remote Shey-Phoksundo National Park. The trekking group had lost all communication with local authorities and travel coordinators since November 1, triggering alarm across regional administrative channels. Confirming the successful extraction, Dolpa District Police Office spokesperson Binay Singh stated that the group was airlifted to safety by a private helicopter and immediately transferred to the government district hospital in Dunai, where medical teams confirmed that all six individuals are undergoing treatment for exposure and are now completely out of danger.
Severe Blizzards and Trapped Trekkers: How Himalayan Snow Cut Off the Group in Dho
The six travelers had journeyed into the high-altitude Dho sector of the Shey-Phoksundo Rural Municipality, an isolated mountain valley situated approximately 300 kilometers northwest of Kathmandu known for its rugged terrain and extreme alpine weather. Over the weekend, the valley was hit by an intense cold front and relentless snow accumulation that quickly sealed mountain passes, buried trekking trails, and disrupted local wireless communications, leaving the Indian nationals trapped with zero overland escape routes. Facing sub-zero temperatures and dwindling supplies, the tourists remained cut off for nearly 48 hours until local authorities pinpointed their coordinates and coordinated an emergency aviation extraction corridor.
From Aborted Military Sortie to Private Chopper Extraction: The High-Altitude Operation
The emergency response followed a perilous operational attempt on Sunday, when a Nepal Army helicopter was dispatched to the sector to conduct an emergency airlift; however, worsening blizzard conditions, severe turbulence, and near-zero visibility prevented the military aircraft from touching down, forcing ground command to abort the mission. Taking advantage of a brief weather clearance early Monday morning, search and rescue authorities deployed a specialized private charter helicopter into the valley, successfully executing a precision landing on the snowbound terrain. Ground rescue teams loaded all six travelers aboard the craft within minutes, safely ferrying them down to the administrative center in Dunai, where municipal officials and hospital authorities verified their condition as stable before initiating formal consular notifications with the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.
