Rescue of stranded Everest climbers moves forward


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With an improvement in weather conditions Nov. 7, the rescue of  hundreds of trekkers stranded for six days in a town near Mount Everest is finally moving forward in full force.

The foreign tourists, along with their Nepalese guides, traveled to Lukla — the starting point for trekkers who wish to scale the world’s largest mountain. However, inclement weather forced more than 2,200 tourists to take shelter in this village where food supplies are limited.

According to the International Business Times, hotels were reportedly overflowing as the influx of tourists waited for a flight out of the Tenzing-Hillary airport.

“The target is to transport 1,500 tourists to Kathmandu today,” Hari Basyal, spokesman of the Nepal Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation told CNN.

On Sunday, at least 500 trekkers were flown to the capital, and today 48 helicopter rides were flown out of Lukla. Meanwhile, trekkers at higher altitudes on Everest were asked not to descend to Lukla because there is no space left. The BBC reported that hotels of the Solukhumbu District were forced to provide sleeping quarters for tourists in their dining rooms, while their guides and porters slept outside.

There were no reports of health issues during the day. However, tourists were concerned about expired visas, missed flights and jobs back at home.