Six Indian tourists, including two women, have been stranded in Nepal's Shey-Phoksundo National Park area since Saturday amid heavy snowfall, with security personnel and an Army helicopter being mobilised for their rescue, officials said on Sunday.
The tourists had travelled to the Dho area in Ward No. 8 of Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality in Dolpa district, which received heavy snowfall, Chief District Officer Junu Dhakal told PTI.
Dhakal said authorities had located the area where the tourists were stranded and were awaiting the arrival of an Army helicopter to evacuate them.
According to officials, the tourists continued towards the lake despite warnings from security personnel and their Nepali guide. They reportedly left the guide behind, following which communication with them was lost on Saturday night.
The guide alerted the District Administration Office on Saturday evening, expressing concern that the tourists might have been stranded. Communication was completely disrupted by Sunday morning.
However, Dhakal clarified that the tourists could not be termed missing as their location had been identified.
The stranded tourists have been identified as Moumita Halder, Piyali Koley, Jajla Trivedi Kumar, Aditya Singha, Diplina Bishwas and Rajesh De.
(With inputs from PTI)
