A large-scale investigation has revealed a shocking scheme involving “fake rescues“ on Everest, bTV reported.
The authorities in Nepal claim that guides, agencies and helicopter companies staged unnecessary evacuations of climbers for the purpose of insurance fraud worth millions of dollars.
Thousands of tourists head to Everest - in an attempt to conquer the roof of the world and make their dream come true. Many of them are put in extreme conditions, including altitude sickness, which carries a real and sometimes fatal risk.
But an investigation by the authorities claims that this risk was manipulated. Climbers with mild symptoms were convinced that they needed an emergency evacuation. Kathmandu Post investigative journalist Sangam Prasain has been working on the case since the first revelations over 10 years ago.
"This scam started back in 2012, when tourism in Nepal started to boom. And tourists started complaining from 2012-2013. 5.56 Nepal had a political change, there was a Gen Z movement, which actually led to a new government. And they think the new government will fix this mess", commented Sangam Prasain, journalist, Kathmandu Post.
Reopening the case reveals even more shocking data. Helicopters are called, evacuations are carried out, and in the end - someone has to pay the bill.
"It's a chain. It starts with the driver and then there are other participants - helicopter companies, rescue companies, hotels, hospitals. "All these people are covered by insurance," Prasain said.
The scheme is large-scale and multi-faceted, but authorities say many of these rescues were not medically necessary - they were part of a system designed to profit from insurance companies.
"This is a 14-day trek for people, for those who walk slowly in the Everest region. They can reach the base camp in seven to eight days and when they come back they are exhausted. They don't want to walk anymore because they have already reached the base camp and their dreams usually come true when they get there. And at that point the guide convinces them that if they pretend to be sick, then a helicopter can be arranged for them. The tourist thinks it's free, and pretends to be sick," the journalist claims.
And some even go further:
"In some cases, hotels or guides put baking soda in the food, contaminate the food and make the tourist sick. Also, if you take one of the preparations used in cases of altitude sickness, even if you drink three liters, at least three liters of water, then it turns into poison. Then you feel dizzy, you feel sick, you will have a headache. This is a perfect tool to make people feel sick and to require evacuation".
We also asked the Central Bureau of Investigation of Nepal for comment. They stated:
The attention of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CIB) has been drawn to recent news reports in the national and international media regarding the Bureau's investigations into the case of the “Fake Rescue Operation“ of tourists.
These reports allege that tour guides in the Everest (Sagarmatha) region deliberately caused tourists to feel unwell by mixing poisonous substances in their food to facilitate fraudulent rescue operations.
The investigations have so far not found any evidence to support these allegations.
According to the 4-year investigation, the large-scale insurance fraud is estimated at $20 million, but the damages are likely to be much greater. But in addition to financial losses, the revelations also inflict damage on tourism in the entire region.
"This is probably the biggest scam in the history of Everest and in the history of Nepal. It has negatively affected tourism in Nepal," said Prasain.
Rishi Vandari is a member of the Nepal Tourism Board and secretary general of the Nepal Expedition Operators Association. He has been working in the tourism sector for nearly 30 years. As a guide, he organizes expeditions up to 8,000 meters in Nepal, Tibet and Pakistan. He says that the cases of fake rescues are a very small percentage of those where this is really necessary.
"I have been leading expeditions for so long and there are so many companies that organize expeditions, but we have never heard of any fake rescues because we only do it if they are in a critical situation and there is no other alternative to save their lives without a helicopter. "Only in such cases do we use this option; otherwise we rely on rescue teams, we have a hospital provided by the Himalayan Rescue Association at the base camp, and we provide medical assistance on the mountain," said Rishi Vandari, general secretary of the Nepal Expedition Operators Association.
"0.1% of people in every country have a criminal mindset and we have one too. So few of the companies, there are more than 2,000 companies that have led expeditions to the mountain, and only a few where problems have been identified. The government has already started legal proceedings", he added.
"We are the only country where most of the highest peaks are located, and no adventure lover can fulfill their dreams without coming to Nepal," commented Vandari.
Everest is a symbol of human ambition and a place where many human qualities are tested. But the investigation also shows another side - that of profit, placed above people's lives, health and dreams. And whether there are any punishments depends on how tourism in the region will continue to develop.