[At
least eight trekkers died after Nepal
By
Dean Nelson, Kathmandu , graphic by Sam Dodge
Survivors
of the violent snow storms which killed more than 30 trekkers in Nepal
But
after taking their money and sharing it with one of their own porters he
abandoned them to their fate mid-route. Six died in furious snow storms, avalanches,
high freezing winds and almost complete darkness.
Eitan
Edan, a 31-year-old Israeli social worker, said four of his friends were among
at least eight people who died during their descent.
Details
of their ordeal emerged on Friday as officials announced more than 282 had now
been rescued, including an identified British trekker. Officials believe
several British trekkers were caught in the storm but only two have been
confirmed as survivors so far. British officials said they believe others are
probably in remote areas without mobile phone signals.
Eitan
Edan said he had been was trekking with a group of around 100, mainly Israelis
and Poles, on Nepal's popular Annapurna circuit route towards the Thorung La
Pass when the the tail end of cyclone Hudhud descended on them and plunged them
into darkness.
They
thought they had reached a safe haven when they arrived at a tea house on the 17,769ft
pass, but it was packed with fellow trekkers taking shelter and the owner
suddenly announced everyone must leave because he was locking up.
When
several of the trekkers said the conditions were too dangerous, the tea house
owner said they would die if they did not leave soon but he would lead them to
safety if they paid him $2,000 (£1,200).
"At
2 or 3 in the afternoon, the owner said 'I'm going to lock up the house, everyone
has to leave. I know the way up here. It was dangerous because it was 5,400
metres, not a lot of oxygen. He said I will show you the safe way but only if
you give me 1,000 rupees (£6.30) each. I know the way out and I'll take
everyone", Mr Edan told the Telegraph in a Kathmandu hospital today where he is being treated for
extreme frostbite.
Some
of the trekkers haggled and said they would pay half upfront and the balance
when they reached the safety of Muktinath lower down the mountain where rescue
teams were waiting.
He
led the group along with one of their original porters, Pasang Tamang, a 45
year old father-of-two who was hailed for his devotion after he died while
saving others on the descent.
But
according to the Israeli survivors, he had made a deal with the tea shop owner
to share the trekkers' escape payments. He died of suffocation and exhaustion
in the snow during the descent.
According
to his employer Laxman Ghimire of the Swissa Trekking Agency, 22,500 Nepali
rupees (£141) and $100 was recovered from his body which he had earned on his
previous trek.
"He
could be alive. He rescued two Israeli girls and in the course of rescuing
others, he lost his life....some people offered him money to rescue them but he
died before he could get the money.
"Usually
[porters] are poor and need money. He wanted to save other people and he wanted
to make money...if he was not helping other people he would be alive. He was
exhausted.
"People
saw him under the snow. He told them 'I'm going to die like this'", Mr
Ghimire said.
Mr
Tamang was paid $15 or £9 per day - less than a pound an hour.
According
to a local newspaper some survivors said he had saved their lives and at least 18
others. But according to Israeli survivors at a Kathmandu hospital today, he was struggling to continue
walking himself for most of the trek and was weighed down by a heavy bag.
At
one point on their descent, they saw an Indian woman screaming for help but the
tea shop owner said her foot "had gone" and that "she's finished".
"We
carried on down. We stopped and the tea shop owner did not know the way. He
told us to turn left and climb. We went on, looked for him and he was gone",
Eitan Edan claimed.
By
now, the group had dwindled to between 30 and 40 but at 11pm , after nine hours' walking, he collapsed in the
snow and could not walk any further. He thought he was going to die, he said.
"I
was exhausted and had no more power. The wind was still high. I said to my
friend 'you have strength, you go on, I'm going to die'. Four of my friends
died. They were in their 20s and 30s", he said.
After
sleeping under a blanket in the snow for three hours and eating a Marathon bar, he found some energy and started walking down to safety at
Muktinath.
Despite
his own survival, he said he was angry at the loss of his friends and said
their lives had been put in jeopardy so the tea shop owner and their porter
could make money.
"They
let us think we had to walk if we wanted to stay alive but everyone who stayed
in the tea house is alive. Three Polish guys died [too]," he said.
"It
was half Pasang and half the tea shop owner. I saw Pasang struggle to continue
and in the end he died.
"Pasang's
friends are trying to make him a hero. But they did not want to go until they
got the money from everyone, for an hour, they didn't check on safety, no-on
cared about it.
"Their
main focus was the money and Tamang and the tea shop owner were collaborating."
