The DU Lounge

Floyd R. Turbo

(33,228 posts) Mon Apr 6, 2026, 02:41 PM Apr 6

Everest is off my bucket list! [View all]

Mount Everest guides have been accused of secretly drugging foreign climbers to trigger expensive aerial evacuations as part of a $20m (£15m) insurance fraud scheme, according to an investigation by the Nepali police.

Operators of mountain rescue companies in Nepal have been arrested as part of the police operation, and a police spokesperson told The Independent that a total of 32 people have been charged and 11 arrests made so far.

The scale of the scam appears to be vast, affecting 4,782 international climbers between 2022 and 2025. Police said more than 300 cases of alleged fake rescues have been uncovered, with bills totalling nearly $20m charged to climbers and insurers.

The scandal has led to new scrutiny over tour operators and guides as this year’s spring climbing season got underway on 30 March. Investigators say the scam involved multiple actors across the trekking ecosystem, including sherpas, trekking company owners, helicopter operators and hospital executives.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/everest-guides-accused-poisoning-foreign-095304783.html

27 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Everest is off my bucket list! [View all] Floyd R. Turbo Apr 6 OP

Jokes on them, i would have actually needed the rescue. dem4decades Apr 6 #1

Ha!😁 Floyd R. Turbo Apr 6 #2

if you can't trust your sherpa..... rampartd Apr 6 #3

Tell me about it! 😢 Floyd R. Turbo Apr 6 #4

Was it the sherpas that were ripping people off or the companies that hire them? dem4decades Apr 6 #5

That has always been an insurance policy I'll never need. Norrrm Apr 6 #6

😁 Floyd R. Turbo Apr 6 #12

WOW!!! Sogo Apr 6 #7

I know! Floyd R. Turbo Apr 6 #13

cant say as i blame them. mopinko Apr 6 #8

Yeah! It's okay to poison people that contribute to your economy! Floyd R. Turbo Apr 6 #14

most of them r rich assholes. mopinko Apr 6 #20

It's never been on mine. 3catwoman3 Apr 6 #9

🤗 Floyd R. Turbo Apr 6 #15

Everything I have seen or read in recent years about it has made an Everest climb seem unappealing. Intractable Apr 6 #10

😬 Floyd R. Turbo Apr 6 #16

Let's face it, Floyd True Dough Apr 6 #11

You have no idea! Floyd R. Turbo Apr 6 #17

And? True Dough Apr 6 #18

A cousin went there. Here are some excerpts from his emails::: Norrrm Apr 6 #19

Wow! Thanks! Floyd R. Turbo Apr 7 #23

Someone ought to build a hotel and restaurant on top, reached by an aerial tramway. hunter Apr 7 #21

Ah ha! A Margaritaville!🍹 Floyd R. Turbo Apr 7 #24

Call me a wimp, but there is no must-see destination on my bucket list... LudwigPastorius Apr 7 #22

😬 Floyd R. Turbo Apr 7 #25

Generalize that to just about any profession bucolic_frolic Apr 7 #26

Too right! Easterncedar Apr 7 #27