Russian travelers rescue Chinese tourists in Nepal

NEW DELHI, March 25. /TASS/. A group of Russian travelers of six people rescued Chinese tourists who could have died on the Thorong La mountain pass in Nepal. Head of the Russian group Sergei Sotnikov told TASS over the phone that the Chinese tourists are safe and sound. "It became known today that they are fine and they successfully reached home," he said. Sotnikov said that in mid-March a group from the Common Geography club started a journey around Annapurna Massif in Nepal. The Russians headed toward Thorong La Pass (5,416 m), which had been previously closed because of a heavy snowfall. On their way the Russians met lost Chinese tourists and a group from New Zealand who successfully descended to the Lower Mustang valley with them. "It turned out that the Chinese had lost their way in the snow and could not find the road across the pass. They and a group of New Zealanders joined us, and the whole team, which grew from six to 15 people, successfully reached the highest point of the pass. There three Chinese nationals decided to return to the base camp, following our traces, while the rest went further with us to the descent to Lower Mustang, and several hours later we were at a safe altitude already. It emerged by the evening that the three returned Chinese were evacuated on a helicopter with grave cold injuries," the Russian group’s head said. Sotnikov noted there were a young family couple and a 70-year-old tourist among the Chinese citizens who decided to essay their powers. If it were not for the Russians, the Chinese tourists’ story would have ended with a tragedy. The Annapurna Ring route is considered to be one of the most popular ones among tourists in Nepal. This winter there were anomalous precipitations there: a similar snowfall occurred last time about 20 years ago. "It is a big mistake to treat Thorong La as an easy task: it claimed tens of lives many times due to sharp weather changes. In 2014, 34 people got lost and froze to their death there," Sotnikov added. Read more