Two British women were rescued on Friday after they were trapped for three days in a remote Himalayan valley.
Catherine Jane Wilson, a 53-year-old from Reigate, and Emily Jene, a 44-year-old from London, were left stranded while hiking in Nepal on Tuesday alongside Mary Reape, a 65-year-old Irish national, and 12 Nepali guides.
Efforts to find the missing group were initially unsuccessful because of the severe weather conditions, a Nepalese police official told The Telegraph on Friday.
Heavy snowfall has swept across much of the Himalayas in recent days, leading to the temporary closure of several popular trekking routes, including those in the Everest, Annapurna, Manaslu and Makalu regions.
Security forces eventually located the group near what is know as the Hidden Valley, an isolated high-altitude basin beneath Tukuche Peak on the Annapurna circuit route, Det Supt Chhiring Kippa Lama of police in the Mustang district told The Telegraph.
Because of poor visibility, severe weather and communication difficulties, the rescue team set up a temporary base at Yak Kharka, in Nepal’s Manang district, and reached the stranded trekkers on foot, she added.
Lt Col Gaurab Dhoj Khand Thakuri, an army battalion commander in Mustang, told The Telegraph that the group was rescued on Friday.
“They were barely able to walk, but were really happy when they saw us,” Lt Col Thakuri said.
An army truck took them directly to a military hospital for medical check-ups in and they were served hot soup, he added.
Binay Lama, director of Sacred Himalaya Trees and Expedition, which organised the trip, said his team had been sheltering in tents for three days. “We had enough supplies to last for two more days,” he said.
The group had contacted the organisers on a satellite phone for help on Oct 28 when it started snowing heavily in the area. The organisers then informed the police, who mobilised rescue teams to locate the hikers.
“The trekkers told us it was hard to walk and move because of poor visibility and heavy snowfall,” Ms Lama added.
The Nepalese army could not use helicopters to rescue them because of the snowfall, said Rajaram Basnet, an army spokesman.
The team of rescuers set up a temporary base and reached the stranded trekkers on foot
The group had been trekking from Mudi village in Myagdi district, crossing the Italian base camp on their way to Marpha in Mustang, when the sudden snowfall blocked the trail.
The area, one of Nepal’s most isolated trekking regions, is renowned for its beauty but notorious for extreme and rapidly changing weather. October is Nepal’s busiest trekking month, drawing thousands of hikers and climbers to routes such as the Annapurna Base camp, Manaslu and Langtang.
Officials have warned of possible avalanches, landslides and road blockages as inclement weather continues to affect the country until at least Saturday.
In the neighbouring Manang district, around 1,500 trekkers, including about 200 foreigners, were rescued on Wednesday from areas around Tilicho Lake after heavy snowfall trapped them at high altitude.
