Tourists stranded in hotels in Lukla and Namche

Solukhumbu, Nov 1: Flights to and from the Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla, considered the gateway to Mount Everest, remain shut for the past three days due to adverse weather conditions. It has been raining continuously with overcast skies and fog leading to very poor visibility in an around the Airport.

According to Nawaraj Katuwal, Air Traffic Controller (ATC) at Lukla, flights have not been able to operate since Thursday due to continuous rain. Although an average of 60 flights operated daily during this season all have been suspended now.  “Visibility is low due to the rain, and not only planes but also helicopter flights have not been able to operate.”

As a result of the suspension of flights, hotels right from Lukla to Namche Bazaar are full of tourists. Tourists who were preparing to return after visiting the Khumbu region are stuck in Lukla. Hotels and guesthouses in Lukla are currently full of tourists.

According to Amrit Magar, in-charge of Tara Airlines Lukla, about 1,500 tourists who booked tickets from the airline are stranded in Lukla. 

Local Toyakumar Shrestha said that the hotel had to accommodate tourists in the lobby. Julie Marie, a tourist from France, said that they were waiting for a flight. “We returned to Lukla three days ago after reaching the Everest base camp but there is no flight in sight.”

Not only in Lukla, hotels in Namche Bazaar are also full of tourists. Lama Kaji Sherpa, chairman of the Everest Pollution Control Committee, said that about 1,200 tourists are stuck in Namche alone. Currently, the hotels in Namche are at 100 percent occupancy."

According to Tek Rai, who has reached Namche, there has been no sun in Namche for four days. 

After the air flights were suspended, some tourists are trying to return to Kathmandu by land from Lukla via Salleri. But the road is not easy. According to tourism entrepreneur Bal Darnal, due to the rain traffic has been disrupted due to landslides at various places on the Solukhumbu-Kathmandu road section.

Meanwhile, meteorologist Saroj Pudasaini at the Weather Forecasting Division of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology in Kathmandu, said there is still a possibility of heavy rain and snowfall. “There is a possibility of rain in the mountainous and hilly areas including of Koshi Province for another two to three days, after which the weather is expected to gradually clear.” (RSS)