Six Indian tourists, including two women and four men, remain out of contact in Nepal’s Dolpa district after heavy snowfall affected a high-altitude route to Shey-Phoksundo Lake, local officials said on Sunday, November 1. Their exact location and condition have not been confirmed.

The group was last reported in the Numla Pass and Bagla Pass areas between parts of Dolpo Buddha and Shey-Phoksundo rural municipalities. They were travelling from Dho towards Phoksundo Lake when contact was lost, according to officials quoted by local media.

Dolpa Chief District Officer Junu Hamal confirmed that the tourists became stranded while returning from Dho. Deputy Superintendent of Police Anil Raj Giri said the six remained out of contact and that authorities had asked the concerned agencies to arrange helicopter support. A Nepal Army team has also been deployed to help locate them, according to Khabarhub and OnlineKhabar. An ANI report carried by The Economic Times also cited local officials and said helicopter support had been requested.

Mobile phone service is unavailable in the mountain passes between wards 4 and 8 of Shey-Phoksundo Rural Municipality, making it difficult for local officials to establish the group’s position. Heavy snow and adverse weather have also complicated movement through the area.

Local officials said residents had warned the travelers that crossing the passes would be difficult because of snowfall. That account has been attributed to local sources; the reports reviewed do not establish when the warning was delivered or whether every member of the group received it.

The District Administration Office’s broader count listed 244 tourists in Upper Dolpa: 149 Nepali nationals, 44 from SAARC countries, and 51 from other foreign countries. This is the number of tourists recorded across the area, not a count of people missing. Local reporting identifies the six out-of-contact travellers as Indian nationals.

Officials have not released the tourists’ names, ages, home states, or a confirmed account of their last known movements. Nor have they confirmed any injuries or deaths. The immediate priority is to locate the group and determine whether they are sheltering at a safe point or remain exposed on the route.

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The Nepal Department of Tourism had urged trekkers and mountaineers to avoid high Himalayan areas from October 28 to November 1, citing forecasts of heavy rain, snowfall, and possible avalanches. The Kathmandu Post reported the advisory on October 28, drawing on a weather bulletin issued by the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology’s 24-hour forecast dated October 31 said the remnants of Cyclone Arnab were near western Nepal as a low-pressure area. It also referred to an upper-level westerly low-pressure system and forecast rain or snowfall in parts of the Himalayan and hilly regions of Karnali Province. Local guides have linked the snowfall to Arnab, as reported by Artha Khabar, but the official bulletin described more than one weather influence and does not establish that the cyclone alone caused conditions on the passes.

The District Administration Office in Dolpa has urged tourists to avoid risky areas and remain in safe locations during the adverse weather. The reports indicate that the warning period covered the days when the group was travelling in the high-altitude region.

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As of the latest reports reviewed, the six tourists had not been reached. Officials had requested helicopter support and deployed a Nepal Army team, but no report confirmed that a rescue aircraft had reached the passes or that the group had been located.

The absence of phone coverage means information may remain limited until a search team reaches the area or establishes contact by another means. Weather, visibility, and the condition of the mountain route will also affect how quickly rescuers can operate.

For now, the tourists’ condition remains unknown. Further information from the Dolpa administration, police, the Nepal Army, or India’s diplomatic mission would be needed to confirm their location and the outcome of the search.