Nepalese authorities have suspended The search for a missing Spanish tourist this week on the Annapurna Circuit, a popular trekking route in the country. The decision came after four days of intense operations and the discovery of a body believed to belong to his travel companion.
The search and rescue team completed its mission this Saturday after four days of intense searching, Bharat Man Gurung, spokesman for the rural municipality of Annapurna, the district that covered the route taken by the Spanish tourists, told EFE.
“But there will be constant surveillance by the rural municipality, villagers and local tourism entrepreneurs in potential areas,” he said.
The two Spaniards disappeared when they were hiking on the Annapurna Circuit, one of the main trekking routes in Nepal, crossing deep gorges, high mountain passes, villages and all the major mountains of the Annapurna massif.
Police have not confirmed the death of the Spanish tourist, but Gurung said It is unlikely that she will be found alive.
Nepalese authorities recovered from a river last Tuesday, at the start of the search, the lifeless body of a person they believe to be the other Spaniard who was with him.
Nepalese police commissioner and spokesman Rabindra Regmi told EFE this week that at the request of the family, they had sent fingerprints to confirm the victim’s identity.
He Annapurna Circuitknown for its breathtaking scenery, becomes particularly dangerous during the monsoon season due to heavy rains and adverse weather conditions.
The two Spanish tourists checked in at the Annapurna Conservation Area Project checkpoint at 10:51 a.m. local time (0506 GMT) on Sunday, and their backpacks were found about a three-hour walk from the checkpoint on Tuesday.
The president of the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) in the region where they disappeared, Dharmaraj Panthi, told EFE that the Spaniards were carrying out illegal treks in the area.
“Nepalese rules prohibit foreigners from trekking alone or in groups without the support of Nepalese guides in Annapurna and other trekking destinations,” he said.
Both may have had an accident while taking a photo next to a waterfall, according to what the authorities informed EFE, since the rescue teams found their personal belongings nearby.
The Nepal Tourism Authority, the country’s tourism promotion body, has made it mandatory from April 1, 2023, for trekkers to hire a guide while trekking on the slopes of the Nepalese Himalayas. However, The rules do not apply to the Everest region.
