Three British tourists rescued

October 9, 2005
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A mission comprising officials from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and British embassy in Kathmandu has evacuated three British tourists from central hilly district of Ramechhap on Sunday where they had been stranded for the last few days after they were taken ill.

According to NHRC, a team comprising member of NHRC Sudip Pathak, protection officer at the Commission Dhaniram Sapkota, Ms Sulan Evans of the British embassy and Mahendra Singh Thapa of Equator Expeditions flew aboard a chopper belonging to Karnali Air and successfully evacuated three British tourists this morning.

Those evacuated include Ms. Julie—who had been taken ill seriously, and her colleagues Claire and Dominic. Julie is now undergoing treatment at a private clinic in Kathmandu, the NHRC said.

A 20-member British tourist group had left for Ramechhap from Kathmandu on 4th of October supported by trekking staff and porters. The team sent SOS calls to Kathmandu after two of its women members of the team were taken ill. NHRC had to step in after private sector airlines refused to send their chopper fearing that Maoist insurgents could target the chopper. Sunday’s rescue mission, hence, included NHRC member Pathak and NHRC official Sapkota, reports said.

The rebels had set fire on a private chopper a few years back alleging it of ferrying security personnel in remote parts of the country. But not a single tourist has been harmed in the nine-year-old Maoist insurgency.