KATHMANDU: Around 100 foreign tourists and 80 Nepali trekking workers remain stranded in the Manaslu region following a landslide and adverse weather in the Tsum Valley, prompting the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) to seek urgent government coordination for their rescue.

In a letter to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority dated October 14, NTB’s acting chief executive, Hikmat Singh Air, recommended immediate search, rescue and safe relocation of the people listed by the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN).

TAAN’s letter to the authority, also dated October 14, said the disaster occurred on October 11 near Chumchet and the foothills of Sringi Himal in the Tsum Valley, affecting the Syarkhola and Budhi Gandaki river corridors. The association initially reported that more than 400 foreign tourists and more than 600 members of support teams had been stranded, but said around 100 tourists and 80 Nepali tourism workers were still awaiting rescue.

TAAN said helicopter evacuations had been complicated by insurance limitations. It said most support workers, including trekking guides and porters, did not have helicopter rescue insurance, while some tourists’ policies did not cover helicopter evacuations arising from natural disasters.

According to TAAN, many trekkers were in the early stages of their journeys around Machhakhola, Jagat and Philim, while others had completed the Tsum Valley section and planned to cross the Larkya La Pass. The association said many wanted to be evacuated to Prok, rather than directly to Kathmandu, so they could continue trekking towards Manang and Dharapani if conditions allowed.

TAAN has requested helicopter evacuation from Jagat, Philim and Chumchet or Chhekampar, with stranded people taken to Prok, Arughat or Kathmandu, depending on the circumstances. It has submitted a list of people still awaiting rescue to the disaster authority.

NTB said the names on the list supplied by TAAN should be used to establish the individuals’ current status and arrange search, rescue and safe relocation in coordination with security agencies and local administrations.