Six Indian tourists have gone missing during a trek to Shey-Phoksundo Lake in Nepal’s Dolpa region, after heavy snowfall trapped the group on high mountain passes, officials confirmed on November 1. The group, made up of two women and four men, was travelling towards the lake when contact with them was lost, and search teams are now working in difficult weather to find them.
The tourists had been travelling from Ward Nos. 4 and 8 of Dolpo Buddha Rural Municipality towards Shey-Phoksundo Lake, described as the deepest lake in Nepal. They were last reported in the Numla Pass and Bagla Pass areas, between Ward Nos. 4 and 8 of Shey-Phoksundo Rural Municipality, where heavy snow and a lack of mobile phone coverage have made it hard to trace their movements.
Key Takeaways
- Six Indian tourists, two women and four men, are missing on a trek to Shey-Phoksundo Lake in Nepal’s Dolpa region.
- They were last reported near the Numla Pass and Bagla Pass areas, after heavy snowfall hit the high passes.
- A Nepal Army team has been deployed and authorities have requested a helicopter for search and rescue, but snow, bad weather and no mobile coverage are hampering the search.
What Officials Have Confirmed
Dolpa Chief District Officer Junu Hamal confirmed that the tourists became stranded while returning from Dho towards Phoksundo Lake. She said they had been warned by locals about the difficult weather and mountain conditions but proceeded with their journey. According to local officials, the group pressed on towards the high-altitude area despite warnings from residents that crossing the mountain passes would be difficult because of snowfall, and they are believed to have become trapped in the snow while returning.
Shey-Phoksundo Rural Municipality Chairman Dhawa Samduk Gurung said mobile phone communication is unavailable in the mountain passes between Wards 4 and 8, making it difficult to obtain information about the tourists’ whereabouts and current condition. That gap in communication is now one of the central problems for the search: without a phone signal from the passes, officials cannot confirm exactly where the group stopped, or what condition they are in.
Heavy snowfall and the absence of mobile phone coverage have left rescuers unable to confirm where the group is or how they are.
Dolpa Deputy Superintendent of Police Anil Raj Giri said six Indian tourists remain out of contact, according to the latest information. He said authorities have requested the concerned agency to arrange a helicopter for search and rescue operations, and a team of the Nepal Army has also been deployed to locate the tourists and assist in their rescue.
- Six Indian tourists missing: two women and four men, trekking to Shey-Phoksundo Lake in Dolpa.
- Last reported near the Numla Pass and Bagla Pass areas, between Wards 4 and 8.
- Group became stranded while returning from Dho towards Phoksundo Lake, officials said.
- Mobile phone communication is unavailable in the passes between Wards 4 and 8.
- Nepal Army team deployed; authorities have requested a helicopter for search and rescue.
- District administration has urged tourists to avoid risky areas and remain in safe locations.
Why the Passes Are So Hard to Search
Dolpa is one of Nepal’s most remote trekking regions, and its high passes leave little room for error once the weather turns. Snow can close a trail quickly, hide the route under fresh drifts, and make both walking and flying dangerous. In this case, the same conditions that are believed to have trapped the group are also slowing the people trying to reach them, with heavy snowfall and adverse weather reported across the high Himalayan region.
The loss of mobile coverage adds a second layer of difficulty. In mountain areas where a phone signal can vanish between valleys and passes, a group that cannot call out also cannot be located by its signal, and rescuers must rely on last-known locations and ground searches instead. That is why the absence of mobile phone coverage in the passes between Wards 4 and 8 matters so much here, and why mobile connectivity in Nepal’s mountains can be the difference between a quick rescue and a long search.
Local guides suspect the tourists may have become stranded following heavy snowfall in the Himalayan region, reportedly linked to Cyclone Arnab in the Bay of Bengal. That link is presented in the reporting as a suspicion by local guides, not as a confirmed cause, but it fits a wider pattern of disruption across Nepal in recent days, as Cyclone Arnab’s remnants stranded hundreds of trekkers on Himalayan routes and shut high-altitude trails.
A Region Seeing More Visitors
Tourist arrivals in the Shey-Phoksundo Lake area have been increasing in recent years. According to available data, 4,882 tourists visited Phoksundo Lake during the first 11 months of the fiscal year 2082/83. The District Administration Office said a total of 244 tourists have reached Upper Dolpa in the current period, of whom 149 are Nepali nationals, 44 are from SAARC countries, and 51 are citizens of other foreign countries.
Those numbers underline why the district administration has moved to warn visitors directly. In view of the adverse weather conditions, it has urged tourists to avoid risky areas and remain in safe locations, rather than attempting high passes while snow and bad weather continue.
What to Watch Next
What to watch next is what the article has already set out: whether the requested helicopter can fly in the current weather, whether the Nepal Army team reaches the Numla Pass and Bagla Pass areas, and whether officials can confirm the tourists’ whereabouts and condition. Until then, the verified picture remains the one confirmed on November 1: six Indian tourists out of contact on the Shey-Phoksundo Lake trek in Dolpa, with heavy snowfall, bad weather and no mobile coverage in the passes standing between them and the search teams trying to find them.