Situation among tourists stranded in Nepal stressful but not chaotic: authorities

Situation among tourists stranded in Nepal stressful but not chaotic: authorities

The situation in Lukla, north east of Nepal where hundreds of tourists and visitors have been stranded, is getting stressful, authorities said.

The tourists have been stranded in the Tenzing- Hillary Airport in Lukla since Tuesday following sudden change in weather condition.

The small airport which is located at an altitude of 2,860 meters is one of the busiest airports in Nepal as it is the gateway for tourists visiting Mount Everest (Mt. Qomolangma).

Although rescue operations have been planned and prepared, the bad weather is still preventing rescue flight operators from reaching the spot.

A local resident and hotel worker in the region Kumari Sherpa informed Xinhua over phone on Saturday that the region is being over packed with tourists who are making space under tents in the airport.

"We are running out of service," Sherpa had said.

Likewise, President of Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA) Santosh Subba told Xinhua that there is no doubt the situation has been stressful, but it is not as chaotic as it is being portrayed.

"There are a large number of tourists in the region and its adding up every day. It is being populated beyond its capacity," he said. "But it surely does not resemble the hype that is being portrayed." "We have been making sure that food stuffs are not exorbitantly priced. We have been coordinating with the local authorities to make sure that such instances are checked," he said.

"The food supplies in Lukla will last for few more days in case the weather is not clear and rescue flights cannot be operated," according to Sherpa.

"It is definitely not an easy situation and people are obviously stressed. Hotel workers are overloaded with tasks and tourists are panicking because they have to catch early flights back to their countries," Sherpa further added.

Sherpa said the HRA is working closely with the Tourists Crisis Cell (TCC), Trekkers' Agency Association Nepal, and Nepal Tourism Board to create pressure to concerned bodies and prevent any chaotic situation. "We learnt that the private companies were charging huge amount during the rescue operations. We have directed flight operators not to do so and warned them of severe actions if found to be done so," Sherpa told Xinhua.

He also said tourists were using hike trails to other destinations where they can have easy access to rescue or transportation back to Kathmandu.

"Tourists have been taking hike trails to other destinations. Some 1000 tourists have gathered in Surke which is a two-hour walk below Lukla because rescue flights are somehow being able to reach there," he said.

"We will do our best to avoid every odd situation," Sherpa said.

Similar situation in the same region which lasted for 15 days last year also had a large number of stranded tourists resulting in a severe food crisis.

In January 2008, the airport was renamed in honor of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, the first persons to reach the summit of Mt. 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.

Only small aircraft and choppers with limited seat capacity can make its way to the airport which is also hampering the rescue of such a large number of tourists.

Editor: Lu Hui

English.news.cn   2011-11-06 19:34:45