News and Events

Nepal Army chopper to airlift trekkers from Nov 7

Nepal Army has assured Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) that it will deploy a MI 17 chopper from Nov 7 to airlift trekkers stranded in Lukla for the past six days. TAAN has been lobbying with the concerned government agencies to rescue stranded trekkers and their support staff members at the earliest. “We’ve already deposited Rs 2 million in Nepal Army’s bank account. They’ve promised us to operate MI 17 chopper from tomorrow to airlift stranded trekkers,” Mohan Lamsal, general secretary of TAAN, said. About 3,000 tourists returning from their trek to Everest Base Camp along with their guides and supporting staff members are stranded in Lukla as bad weather continue to disrupt flights to Tenzing-Hillary Airport. According to Nepal Tourism Board, about 150 tourists have been airlifted from Surke – an hour downhill from Lukla – to Manthali, while about 1,000 have started a long trek to Jiri from where road transportation is available. Flights to and from Lukla – the gateway to Everest – have come to a halt since six days owing to bad weather. According to weathermen, weather conditions will start improving from Monday.

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