Israelis rescued from Nepal snowstorm: ‘There was panic, could have ended much worse’

A large group of Israelis has been rescued from the village of Samdu in Nepal after they became trapped in a ferocious Himalayas snowstorm, Hebrew media reported Wednesday, as the Nepali and Chinese sides of the Everest region were both closed to tourism due to the inclement conditions.

The Israelis were taken from Samdu to the nearby village of Samagaun, which is at a lower altitude, the Walla news site reported.

One of the trekkers required urgent evacuation by helicopter to the town of Lukla for medical treatment.

Another trekker, Yair Liberman, told the Kan public broadcaster that they were hiking when they realized they would be unable to go any further due to the weather.

“At some point we realized we didn’t understand where the route was. There were about 150 travelers stuck in a line. There was panic, the storm was getting stronger and people left their bags behind. It could have ended much worse,” he said.

With the weather unlikely to improve before Sunday, Liberman said they were waiting to be extracted from the area. A number of the travelers were suffering altitude sickness or were in pain after the difficult climb, Kan reported.

קבוצת ישראלים גדולה נתקעה בסופת שלגים בנפאל. צוותי חילוץ הגיעו לסייע להם. מטיילת אחת הייתה זקוקה לחילוץ דחוף – פונתה במסוק לכפר סמוך לקבלת טיפול רפואי@VeredPelman
(צילום: חדר המצב של פספורטכארד) pic.twitter.com/uHIcQImaG6

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 29, 2025

The rescue of the group from Samdu came as authorities closed the Nepali and Chinese sides of the Everest region due to heavy snow brought by cyclone winds, with deep snowdrifts causing a helicopter to crash as it tried to rescue stranded trekkers.

Authorities in Nepal have halted trekking on many hiking routes due to rain at lower elevations and heavy snowfall on higher trails, and have urged hikers not to venture out or proceed with their treks in the Annapurna, Manaslu and Dhaulagiri areas, home to some of the world’s highest peaks.

A small private helicopter flying to Lobuche near the Everest Base Camp to rescue stranded trekkers crashed when it tried to land, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal spokesperson Gyanendra Bhul said.

Video showed the helicopter, which slipped on the snow while landing, lying on its side. The pilot survived and was later rescued. It was unclear whether the trekkers had been rescued.

Army and police rescuers guided hundreds of trekkers in Manang district to safety since Tuesday, Nepal Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet said.

He said about 1,500 hikers, including 200 foreigners of different nationalities, their guides and local trekkers had lost their way as hiking trails were buried under deep snow.

Weather officials have forecast heavy rain and snow on Thursday and Friday due to the passage of Cyclone Montha, which roared into India’s southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday night.