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Three British and Irish women and 12 trekking guides and staff from Nepal have been stranded in a remote valley in the Himalayas for the past three days after heavy snowfall.
An army and police rescue team is currently attempting to reach them after a request to send a helicopter was rejected.
The area, known as the Hidden Valley, is popular among trekkers but is known for its unpredictable weather, from landslides to snowstorms.
The trekking group has been trapped in the basin since Monday, according to officials.
The trekking agency, called Sacred Himalaya Treks and Expedition, requested that the local administration send an army helicopter.
The request was rejected despite the agency offering to bear the full costs of the evacuation, because of extreme weather conditions and uncertainty about the trekkers’ whereabouts.
Nanda Ram Pariyar, the assistant chief district officer of the Mustang district, said: ‘We could not establish contact yesterday. We did not have any clue where to send the rescue helicopter.’
The stranded British citizens are Catherine Wilson (left) and Emily Jene (left), and Mary Reape is from Ireland
The stranded British citizens are Catherine Wilson and Emily Jene, and Mary Reape is Irish, according to Binay Lama, the owner of the trekking company.
The 12 Nepali staff are Dirgalal Lama, Nimaraj Lama, Maandhoj Lama, Navin Lama, Tashi Sherpa, Tshering Tamang, Sonam Tamang, Nima Lama, Kaila Tamang, Buddharaj Tamang, Kanchhaman Tamang and Dorje Tamang.
A rescue team of the army and police instead set off on a rescue mission on Wednesday.
However, the Hidden Valley is a two-day trek from Jomsom, the starting point of the scenic trekking routes in Manang.
The valley is an isolated high-altitude basin beneath Tukuche Peak in the Dhaulagiri range.
The rescue team has reached an area about 1.8km away from the stranded trekkers’ campsite.
‘Rescue flight is still impossible in such weather conditions, but once the rescue team locates them, they will co-ordinate with the district office to carry out the rescue operation once they reach the trekkers campsite,’ said Rajaram Basnet, an army spokesman.
Autumn is one of Nepal’s most popular trekking seasons, attracting thousands to mountains like Everest
Mount Everest has been temporarily closed to trekkers due to blizzards this week
‘We have been informed that the trekkers are safe and in good health. As it is getting dark, the rescue team is setting up camp to spend the night,’ said Bishnu Prasad Bhusal, the chief district officer of the Mustang district.
Mount Everest has been temporarily closed to trekkers due to the heavy snowfall sweeping across the Himalayas this week.
Hundreds of trekkers to Everest Base Camp are stuck along the route.
A rescue helicopter crashed near the camp on Wednesday, but the pilot escaped without a scratch, according to officials.
The extreme weather is linked to Cyclone Montha, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.
Updates arrived yesterday saying the rescue team had reached an area about 1.8km away from the trekkers’ campsite
On Wednesday, at least 1,500 trekkers had to be rescued from Tilicho Lake in the neighbouring Manang district after sudden snowfall.
About 15 Nepali trekkers were left behind at the Lake while others continued to the village, according to Krishna Prasad Poudel, assistant chief district officer of Manang district.
People’s tents were said to have been crushed, with some climbers suffering from hypothermia due to the freezing conditions.
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This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .