Dozens of Israelis to be airlifted from Himalaya disaster zone

Dozens of Israeli trekkers stranded by avalanches and snowstorms which killed at least 29 people — including three Israelis — in the Himalayas this week will be airlifted from the mountainous region of Annapurna on Saturday, Israeli officials said, as preparations were also underway to fly several wounded Israelis from Nepal’s capital of Kathmandu to Israel.

Almost 50 Israelis were said to be in the remote village of Manang, which serves as a gathering point for trekkers, who usually spend several days there to acclimatize to the high-altitude air. Foreign Ministry officials stressed that most of these were in fine physical condition, but the trauma prevented them from returning to more civilized areas on foot.

Israel Radio reported that 20 Israelis were being treated in Kathmandu hospitals for frostbite. On Saturday an Israeli plane carrying doctors and Israeli officials landed in the Nepalese capital, and six trekkers in more severe condition were set to be flown back to Israel to receive treatment in local hospitals.

A Nepalese official said Saturday that most of the trekkers stranded by the deadly blizzards in northern Nepal had been rescued or moved to safer ground, but efforts to reach those left behind would continue along the popular route where they were trekking.

While more than 200 people have been rescued, sometimes plucked from mountainsides by helicopters and taken to nearby villages and towns, dozens more are still taking shelter in isolated mountain huts, said government administrator Yama Bahadur Chokhyal, adding that sunny skies and calm wind conditions were helping the ongoing rescue efforts.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said 58 Israelis were still listed as out of contact. According to a Channel 10 report, the Israeli government believes that in most cases this is likely due to communications issues and even among the dozens who’ve yet to be reached, there are no further injuries. There was no official confirmation of this claim, however.

There is, however, one Israeli woman who took part in the ill-fated hike who remains unaccounted for and is feared dead. Michal Cherkasky, 36, from the Tel Aviv suburb of Givatayim, was on the trek through Annapurna and hasn’t been heard from since Tuesday.

Among the confirmed fatalities are three Israelis, named Thursday as Agam Luria, 23; Nadav Shoham, 30; and Tamar Ariel, 24. Ariel was the first religious woman to become an Israeli Air Force combat navigator. Their bodies were airlifted by helicopter to Kathmandu and will be flown back to Israel for burial.

According to an account in Ynet, Shoham helped drag Ariel and others toward safety and insisted he be the last airlifted out.

“He carried Tamar the navigator, he also helped others until he finally depleted his strength,” Shoham’s uncle told the news site. “He had a big heart. He would not have left anyone in the field. It was in his DNA.”

The Nepal government was earlier criticized for not helping enough. It was initially only the army attempting the rescue with their two helicopters on Wednesday and later joined by private trekking operators.

The Annapurna trekking route, 160 kilometers (100 miles) northwest of the capital, Kathmandu, was filled with foreign hikers during the peak October trekking season, when the air is generally clear and cool. There were also many Nepalese on the trails because of local festivals.

Climate experts say rising global temperatures have contributed to avalanches in the Himalayas.