Nepal Army to use helicopter to rescue stranded tourists
November 6th, 2011 - 12:00 am ICT by IANSKathmandu, Nov 5 (IANS) Nepal Army agreed Saturday to use its MI-17 helicopter to rescue stranded foreign tourists in northeastern Nepal.
More than 100 flights have been cancelled due to bad weather in the Himalayas region since Tuesday, leaving around 2,000 tourists stranded at Lukla airport, most of them coming from the US and Europe, reported Xinhua.
The small airport located at an altitude of 2,860 meters is the gateway for tourists visiting Mount Everest.
The Nepal Tourism Board appealed the army to help rescue the tourists.
The army helicopter with 18 seats will leave for Lukla after the weather condition improves. It will rescue the patients and the tourists who have to arrive in Kathmandu to catch their international flights in first priority, said Anjan Kumar Thapa, treasurer of the Trekking Association of Nepal.
In January 2008, the airport was renamed in honour of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, the first persons to reach the summit of Everest. The surrounding terrain, thin air, highly changeable weather and the airport’s short, sloping runway make it one of the most challenging landing strips in the world.
- Stranded Everest heroes rescued in Nepal - Jan 24, 2011
- Indians among top Everest conquerors - Jul 15, 2011
- 14 dead in Nepal plane crash, soldiers search for bodies - Aug 24, 2010
- Everest to be Edmund Hillary's last resting place - Apr 01, 2010
- Indian Army women's team to again attempt Mt. Everest (Lead, superseding prervious story) - Mar 12, 2012
- (VM) Indian Army women's team to scale Mount Everest - Mar 12, 2012
- Everest superstar eyes 20th summit - Mar 12, 2010
- Indian schoolboy rewrites history on the Himalayas - May 20, 2011
- Tenzing's tribe angered by polygamy, polyandry slur in Nepal - Aug 23, 2010
- 13 Indians die in Nepal air crash (Third Lead) - May 14, 2012
- Bravehearts write new records on Mt Everest - May 07, 2011
- Mamata Banerjee gets towering gifts - from the Himalayas - May 21, 2011
- At least 7 Indians killed in Nepal plane crash (Second Lead) - May 14, 2012
- Nepali runner wins world's highest marathon race - May 29, 2012
- Assam mountaineer set to scale Mount Everest - Mar 23, 2012
Tags: altitude, army helicopter, bad weather, changeable weather, first priority, honour, international flights, landing strips, mount everest, nepal tourism board, nov 5, sir edmund hillary, summit, tenzing norgay, thin air, tourists, trekking, weather condition, weather in the himalayas, xinhua