Mount Everest guides accused of targeting climbers in fake $20M rescue scheme – National
Authorities in Nepal say they have uncovered an alleged USD$20 million insurance scam involving fake Mount Everest rescues and fake hospitalizations to claim insurance money.
Ten people have been arrested in connection with the scheme, Nepal’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) said in a series of news releases last month, including people from a walking company, helicopter pilots, staff at a Kathmandu-based hospital and rescue workers.
Companies and individuals are accused of conducting rescue operations on Mount Everest by presenting false documents to the Nepalese police and insurance companies, including passenger identifications, medical documents and other forms of insurance claims, the CIB said.
“Actions like this have brought down the nation’s reputation,” the bureau said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
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NBC News reported that 32 guides have been charged, and investigators have identified nearly 4,800 hikers who were treated at hospitals involved between 2022 and 2025.
“Foreign tourists were systematically defrauded,” the office said.
A spokesperson told the US outlet that the program specifically targets foreigners who experience health problems while hiking in Nepal’s Himalayan region. According to an investigation by the Kathmandu Post, the organizations involved will put in rescue efforts and file insurance claims that bear no resemblance to the actual medical emergency of the patient.
In this photo taken on October 4, 2025, and released by Lingsuiye, villagers with their oxen and horses climb a mountain during rescue efforts to reach hundreds of climbers trapped by heavy snow in tourist camps on the slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet.
Lingsuiye with AP
The newspaper’s investigation says the alleged scam is complex and reportedly relies on the cooperation of many agencies, including operators who say they will offer weary passengers a helicopter ride from the mountains if they say they are sick.
Another alleged method was to scare hikers with symptoms of altitude sickness into believing they had serious problems and needed to be evacuated, the outlet found. In some cases, research suggests that strategies such as overhydrating are used to worsen symptoms.
Global News has not independently verified the findings.
The CIB said some of the allegations in the investigation were false, including that the guides had poisoned the climbers.
“The investigation so far has not revealed the fact that toxic substances were sinned,” it said.
Standing at 29,029 meters above sea level, trying to climb Mount Everest poses many risks. About a thousand people try to reach the summit every year; only 7,583 have successfully completed the trip, according to NBC News.
Rescue and medical emergencies are common on Mount Everest. In October last year, more than 350 climbers were rescued after a powerful storm trapped them in a campsite in Tibet.
The hikers’ path was blocked by heavy snow, trapping them at an altitude of 4,900 meters (16,000 feet), according to a report from China’s Jimu News.
Hundreds of local people were tasked to clear the way for the stranded passengers to get off, said Jimu’s report.
The tropical storm struck during China’s Golden Week holiday, which marks the start of the busy tourist season on Everest, which is usually marked by clear skies and comfortable temperatures at this time of year.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
