Six Indian Tourists Missing in Snow Near Shey-Phoksundo Lake

Six Indian tourists are missing in the high mountains of Dolpa district in western Nepal after heavy snowfall cut off their trek to Shey-Phoksundo Lake, officials said on Sunday, November 1. The group, four men and two women, lost contact on Saturday night near the Numla Pass and Bagla Pass, between wards 4 and 8 of Shey-Phoksundo Rural Municipality. They were returning from Dho toward the lake when the weather closed in.

Dolpa Chief District Officer Junu Hamal said the tourists had been warned by local residents and their guide that crossing the passes in the snow would be dangerous, but they pressed on. The passes have no mobile phone coverage, so rescuers do not know the group's exact position or condition.

Rescue slowed by snow and silence

Deputy Superintendent of Police Anil Raj Giri said the six were still untraceable at the latest update. District officials have asked for helicopter support and the Nepal Army has joined the search, but continuing snowfall and poor weather in the high passes have hampered the operation. One rescue report said an army helicopter was dispatched toward the Danigad area to evacuate the group once it is found.

The snowfall in the far west has been linked to the weather system left by Cyclone Arnab, which developed over the Bay of Bengal in late October. Heavy snow has fallen across high parts of Dolpa, including Shey-Phoksundo, Dolpo Buddha and Chharka Tangsong, while lower areas have had days of rain. The district administration had warned against trekking in exposed areas from October 28, as the system approached.

The lake at the end of the trail

Shey-Phoksundo Lake is the deepest lake in Nepal. It sits at about 3,611 metres inside Shey-Phoksundo National Park, in one of the most remote trekking regions in the country, close to the Tibetan border. The route from the Dho Tarap valley crosses passes where the weather can turn in hours and help is days away on foot.

The district administration said 244 tourists have reached Upper Dolpa this season, including 149 Nepali visitors, 44 from SAARC countries and 51 from other countries. Officials advised all of them to stay away from dangerous routes and remain in safe places until the weather improves.

Late autumn is a busy trekking season in Nepal, and this week has been a hard one in the mountains. Rain from the same system has blocked highways across the country, and snow has closed high trails days after the main season was in full swing. For the six families waiting on news from Dolpa, the wait runs through a second night of snow, with the search set to resume from the air as soon as the weather opens.