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Korea Herald
11 hours ago
- Science
- Korea Herald
Drones are now saving lives in Everest death zone
KATHMANDU, Nepal (Kathmandu Post/ANN) -- In March, a chilling incident unfolded in the frigid heights of the Everest region. Three Chinese trekkers -- a father and his two daughters -- lost their way in the Dingboche area. With only two porters and no guide, they had pushed on to Cho La pass, a treacherous trail perched 5,368 meters above sea level. By nightfall, the trekkers were missing, and their disappearance sparked panic in the region. At 10 p.m., their hotel launched a desperate search-and-rescue mission. Six guides were dispatched to scour the area, but after three grueling hours in the harsh mountain terrain, they found nothing. Fear gripped the hotel area, where the Chinese were residing. Then a stroke of technological luck intervened. Airlift Technology, a local drone-mapping startup, had team members staying in a nearby hotel. Without hesitation, they deployed a drone borrowed from a foreigner. Within an hour it had located the stranded trekkers. The rescue team moved swiftly. Lives were saved -- not by chance, but by the eyes in the sky. According to Airlift Technology, this was just a glimpse of what drones can do in Nepal's high mountains. If equipped with thermal detection, drones can pinpoint the location of missing climbers -- if they are still alive. With 3D mapping capabilities, drones can remotely scan the icy landscapes of places like the Khumbu Icefall, measuring the length and depth of crevasses. Climbers and guides can assess the mountain's dangers and be warned of potential avalanches or collapsing ice slabs. That warning came just in time for one expedition in April. Months ago, while preparing the route on Mount Pumori -- standing at 7,161 meters, just 8 kilometers from Everest -- Airlift's drone spotted a hanging serac, a huge block of unstable ice. The expedition was called off. Climbers and guides likely escaped death that day. Such interventions, however, cannot always prevent tragedy. On April 7, 2025, around noon, a massive avalanche thundered above Camp II (5,600 meters) of Annapurna, the world's 10th highest mountain. A team of sherpas from Seven Summit Treks were carrying bottled oxygen for their clients' summit push. The avalanche caught Ngima Tashi and Rima Rinje. Another Sherpa, Pemba Thenduk, was swept along but miraculously survived. Despite days of relentless searching, there was no trace of Ngima and Rima. On April 11, Seven Summit Treks wrote in a heartbreaking Facebook post, "It is no longer possible for anyone to survive this long under the mass of snow and ice. Prolonging search efforts would risk more lives. With a heavy heart, we have decided to suspend the search and bid farewell." The mountain had claimed two more of its finest. But would drones one day change this cruel pattern? "If drones can be used to deliver oxygen and supplies, we can reduce the number of risky trips sherpas must undertake," said Milan Pandey, co-founder of Airlift Technology. The sherpas -- Nepal's high-altitude trailblazers -- have long been the silent heroes of Himalayan expeditions. They guide climbers, ferry supplies, and prepare routes, often putting their lives on the line. The dangers they face are relentless. Three sherpas were killed by an avalanche in the Khumbu Icefall alone last year. This treacherous stretch -- an ever-shifting river of ice just below Everest Base Camp -- is so dangerous that most climbers attempt it only between 3 and 5 am, when the ice is most stable. As the sun rises, melting ice becomes unstable, and avalanches are frequent. On April 18, 2014, a falling serac buried 16 sherpa guides in the Icefall, ending that year's climbing season. The Himalayan Database records 48 deaths on the Icefall between 1953 and 2024. Now, the mountain may finally have a new kind of helper. "After our successful operations on Everest, we're piloting drones on Annapurna this September," said Pandey. "We flew drones up to 6,500 meters this spring, carrying over 30 kilograms of supplies in minus 25 degrees Celsius and winds of 45 kph." Where sherpas take 6-7 hours to climb carrying 12 kilograms of gear, drones do the same in 10 minutes. This spring alone, Airlift mobilized two heavy-lifter drones that transported 2.5 tonnes of supplies -- including 300 kilograms of garbage -- in and out of the Khumbu Icefall. The drone reached a record 6,130 meters, the highest documented drone delivery. Before Everest, the highest known drone ascent was 5,000 meters near Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, India. This spring, almost all the ladders and ropes used to prepare Everest's route were flown by drones up to Camp I. The Icefall Doctors, a group of specialist sherpas mobilised by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), usually carry over 20 ladders and hundreds of kilograms of ropes by hand. This year, drones lifted 444 kilograms of such equipment. "It was super fast," Pandey said. "This year, the drones supplied 900 kilograms of equipment for the 8K Expedition up to Camp I. They also delivered 150 oxygen cylinders for Asian Trekking, six at a time -- each weighing four liters." The DJI drone weighs 96 kilograms and has a payload capacity of 32 kilograms. The results were impressive. For instance, when the Icefall Doctors discovered a crevasse longer than expected, they needed extra ladders. Instead of climbing down to Base Camp and back -- a day's delay and a risky journey -- a drone delivered four ladders in just two minutes. The sherpas finished the section within an hour. Traditionally, sherpas travel from Base Camp to Camp I and back in 10 hours, including 6 hours of climbing. With drones, the task now takes 10 minutes, including loading. There were challenges. In one instance, a drone was forced into an emergency landing when winds hit 66 kph. "Drones can fail," Pandey admitted, "but people won't die. We're planning a full-fledged drone operation next spring." They don't come cheap though. The price of a DJI drone is $70,000 with taxes. Pemba Sherpa, executive director of 8K Expeditions, the company entrusted to prepare routes from Camp II to the Everest summit this spring, said, "There is no doubt that drones are a life-saving initiative. The human risk is zero." "When sherpas don't have to carry loads, their performance improves." "Besides, though the commercial aspect of the drone is yet to be properly assessed, preliminary reports suggest it is over 10 times cheaper to transport goods through drones than through choppers," he said. Operators say the average travel time for rope-fixing sherpas from Base Camp to Camp I was cut by 90 minutes this year. Airlift used Chinese drones this spring but plans to test a European drone on Mt. Manaslu -- Nepal's eighth-highest peak -- this September. Standing at 8,163 meters, Manaslu is another formidable testing ground. "We'll begin the survey next month," said Pandey. "After the test, we'll know its carrying capacity and full potential." Could drones one day bring supplies down to Lukla, Everest's gateway airport? "Technically, yes," Pandey said. "But our focus is on emergency support and garbage removal. We don't want to displace porters' jobs." That's a valid concern. Hundreds of locals depend on Everest for income. Porters form the backbone of Nepal's trekking industry. SPCC collected more than 83 tonnes of garbage from Everest this spring alone. That included 25,056 kilograms of paper, plastic, and clothing; 8,374 kilograms of metal and glass; 17,861 kilograms of kitchen waste; and a staggering 31,797 kilograms of human waste. Also retrieved: 788 used gas canisters and 1,802 spent batteries. The mountains are magnificent -- but they are unforgiving. Technology may never fully tame them. But this spring, Nepal took a small yet bold step toward a safer future in the death zone, where once only courage treaded -- and now, drones fly.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Nepal 'cloudburst' video is AI generated
"Live video footage of cloudburst in Nepal," reads the Hindi-language caption of a video posted on X on May 25, 2025. It appears to show torrents of water emptying out of a cloud onto already flooded fields. It was shared as monsoon rains in eastern Nepal caused at least one death, according to the Kathmandu Post, as well as widespread flooding and disruptions to transport (archived link). Meteorologists in Nepal said the monsoon clouds had entered the country two weeks ahead of schedule, with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority predicting that around two million could be affected by monsoon-related disasters (archived link). The video was also shared among Hindi-speaking users on Facebook and Instagram. "What a terrifying scene... it seems like water gushing out of a dam," reads a comment on one of the posts. Another comment reads: "A very scary scene... May God protect everyone." But Nepalese authorities told AFP that no such weather phenomena had occurred in the country. "Monsoon (season) has begun in Nepal so many areas are receiving rain. But there has been no incident of any cloudburst recently," Dinkar Kayastha, an information officer with the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, said on June 5. A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to the same footage posted in a YouTube short on May 19 (archived link). The video's Thai-language caption includes the hashtag "AI", and the user who posted the video also posted others with the same hashtag that appear to have been AI generated (archived link). The director of Purdue University's Machine Learning and Media Forensics Lab, Shu Hu, also told AFP that there are visual inconsistencies in the video which confirm the clip was generated using AI (archived link). "The red roof was absent at the beginning of the video but appeared later," he said on June 3. AFP has debunked other false claims that utilised AI-generated footage here.
AFP
09-06-2025
- Climate
- AFP
Nepal 'cloudburst' video is AI generated
"Live video footage of cloudburst in Nepal," reads the Hindi-language caption of a video posted on X on May 25, 2025. It appears to show torrents of water emptying out of a cloud onto already flooded fields. It was shared as monsoon rains in eastern Nepal caused at least one death, according to the Kathmandu Post, as well as widespread flooding and disruptions to transport (archived link). Meteorologists in Nepal said the monsoon clouds had entered the country two weeks ahead of schedule, with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority predicting that around two million could be affected by monsoon-related disasters (archived link). Image Screenshot of the false X video, captured on June 6, 2025 The video was also shared among Hindi-speaking users on Facebook and Instagram. "What a terrifying scene... it seems like water gushing out of a dam," reads a comment on one of the posts. Another comment reads: "A very scary scene... May God protect everyone." But Nepalese authorities told AFP that no such weather phenomena had occurred in the country. "Monsoon (season) has begun in Nepal so many areas are receiving rain. But there has been no incident of any cloudburst recently," Dinkar Kayastha, an information officer with the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, said on June 5. A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to the same footage posted in a YouTube short on May 19 (archived link). The video's includes the hashtag "AI", and the user who posted the video also posted others with the same hashtag that appear to have been AI generated (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (left) and YouTube short posted in May 2025 (right) The director of Purdue University's Machine Learning and Media Forensics Lab, Shu Hu, also told AFP that there are visual inconsistencies in the video which confirm the clip was generated using AI (). "The red roof was absent at the beginning of the video but appeared later," . Image Screenshots of the visual inconsistencies in the falsely shared video AFP has debunked other false claims that utilised AI-generated footage here.
India Gazette
05-06-2025
- India Gazette
Bardibas emerges as key transit hub for drug smuggling across Nepal-India border
Madhesh Province [Nepal], June 5 (ANI): Bardibas in Mahottari district has become a major transit hub for drug smuggling, with traffickers using the town to move marijuana from the hill districts of Nepal into India and bring controlled prescription drugs from India into Kathmandu, the Kathmandu Post reported. Once a small roadside stop along the East-West Highway, Bardibas has seen rapid urban growth following the operation of the BP Highway, which connects the town directly to Kathmandu. This development has brought an influx of residents and businesses, but it has also coincided with the rise of illicit drug activities. According to the Area Police Office in Bardibas, smugglers have established storage facilities throughout the town. Marijuana grown in the Chure hills is being stockpiled in Bardibas before being smuggled across the open Nepal-India border through nearby towns such as Gaushala, Ramgopalpur, and Jaleshwar. In the opposite direction, pharmaceutical drugs are brought illegally from India and distributed into Kathmandu. Residential areas, schools, and local businesses have reportedly been affected. Authorities have found students in possession of marijuana and households storing as much as 20 kilograms. Deputy Superintendent of Police Bikash Bam stated that regular police patrols have increasingly found drugs being transported in four-wheelers. 'Even students from reputed schools are getting involved,' he said, urging stronger awareness and prevention efforts, as per reports by the Kathmandu Post. Police believe the porous Nepal-India border has facilitated the movement of banned substances, with some Nepali youth traveling to India to procure or smuggle pharmaceutical drugs. In recent enforcement actions, police seized 40 kg of marijuana from a car in ward 11 of Bardibas Municipality and another 107.9 kg from a vehicle in Ramgopalpur. On the same day, two individuals were caught with 20 kg of marijuana on a motorcycle headed to Jaleshwar. In another major operation, police confiscated 158 kg of marijuana from a Mahindra Scorpio parked near Shubha Swastik Hospital in Bardibas. Authorities say such busts have become routine, with vehicles including cars, motorcycles, and SUVs being used almost daily for smuggling. Over the past 10 months, Mahottari police have seized more than 26.86 quintals of marijuana from 13 vehicles, filing 27 cases and arresting 37 individuals. During the previous fiscal year 2023-24, police confiscated 12.96 quintals and filed 10 cases. The trend is not limited to Mahottari. According to police data, all eight districts in Madhesh Province are seeing a steady rise in marijuana trafficking, with a total of 135.69 quintals confiscated in the past 10 months alone, the Kathmandu Post reported. Superintendent of Police Heramba Sharma said Bardibas has become a preferred route for traffickers due to its strategic location, short distances to border towns, and the availability of small vehicles for quick transport. A significant portion of marijuana seized in Mahottari reportedly originates from Makawanpur. (ANI)
Korea Herald
29-05-2025
- Korea Herald
Everest in five days: British team's speed climb triggers Nepal proble
KATHMANDU, Nepal (Kathmandu Post/ANN) — Four former British special forces soldiers have set a startling new precedent on Mount Everest, reaching the summit in under five days without the traditional acclimatisation process. Their rapid ascent of the planet's tallest peak has drawn sharp scrutiny from Nepali authorities, not for the climb itself, but for the controversial use of xenon gas prior to arrival in Nepal. The team, comprising Maj. Garth Miller, Col. Alistair Scott Carns, Anthony James Stazicker and Kevin Francis Godlington, summited the world's highest peak at approximately 7:15 a.m. on Wednesday. Their journey began in London on the afternoon of May 16, with the climbers arriving at Everest Base Camp the following day. By 10:30 p.m. on May 20, they had begun their final summit push. Back home, the team had trained in hypoxic tents and followed a rigorous high-altitude conditioning regime. But what has provoked the current controversy is their reported inhalation of xenon gas, administered two weeks before departure in Europe, intended to reduce the risk of altitude sickness. Himal Gautam, director of the Department of Tourism, who oversees mountaineering expeditions, said the department was not informed of the gas use. "We have launched an investigation into the matter," he said, noting that all climbers and operators must declare the equipment, medications, and substances used during expeditions. Traditionally, climbers take more than a month to summit Everest. They begin their trek in early April and complete multiple rotations between Everest Base Camp and higher camps to acclimatize. These rotations are vital for adapting to the thinning air at high altitudes and skipping them is considered risky. By contrast, the British team completed the entire climb in just five days — a feat that would have been unimaginable in previous decades. While their speed has captivated parts of the global mountaineering community, it has triggered a heated debate in Nepal about safety, ethics and the future of high-altitude climbing. The expedition was organized by the Austria-based Furtenbach Adventures, whose founder, Lukas Furtenbach, insists the team followed all rules. He confirmed that the xenon treatment was administered in Germany and emphasized that only standard supplemental oxygen was used on the mountain. "What happens outside Nepal should not be under the purview of the Nepal government," he said. He defended xenon's use as a modern, medically supervised intervention to prevent altitude sickness and suggested it could make Himalayan expeditions safer. "Our company has a long-standing reputation for safety," Furtenbach said, expressing confidence that the investigation would find no wrongdoing. He also pointed to potential environmental benefits. "Shorter expeditions mean less garbage, lower carbon emissions, and reduced human waste in the fragile alpine ecosystem," he argued. Despite the abbreviated climb, Furtenbach claimed his team employed about 120 local workers and paid them competitively, demonstrating, in his view, that sustainability and economic benefit could go hand in hand. Yet not all stakeholders are convinced. Dambar Parajuli, president of the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal, warned that widespread adoption of such short-duration climbs could upend the economic model on which the Everest industry depends. "Traditional expeditions employ sherpas, porters, guides, and kitchen staff for weeks, sometimes months," he said. "If climbers finish their journey in days, the ripple effect on local employment will be devastating." He urged the government to consider the broader implications of this shift and to ensure that new policies uphold the livelihoods of communities that depend on the Everest economy. Xenon's use further complicates matters. In 2014, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned the gas for athletes, citing its potential to enhance performance by stimulating the production of erythropoietin (EPO). This hormone boosts red blood cell production. However, mountaineering does not fall under WADA's purview, and there is no ban on its use for non-competitive climbers. In January, the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) released a statement on xenon, concluding that it offers no proven performance benefit for altitude climbing. "Although a single dose may cause a short-term spike in EPO levels, there is no evidence that this translates into increased red blood cell count or improved performance," the UIAA said. It emphasized that acclimatisation is a complex physiological process that a single intervention cannot hack. Moreover, the UIAA warned that xenon is a potent anaesthetic, not widely approved for medical use, and carries health risks. "In an unmonitored environment like Everest, side effects such as impaired brain function or respiratory distress could be fatal," the statement said. One study cited by the UIAA reported significant sedation even at doses recommended for mountaineering, posing a potentially serious risk in high-altitude zones where alertness can mean the difference between life and death. Still, Furtenbach dismissed these concerns. He said his company followed ethical and medical guidelines and remained open to cooperation with Nepali authorities. "We are transparent and willing to share our expertise with the government. But there needs to be a better understanding of modern medical science," he said. The Everest "death zone," above 8,000 meters, is one of the most hostile environments on Earth. Oxygen is scarce; even seasoned climbers risk pulmonary or cerebral edema, frostbite, and exhaustion. That such terrain could be tackled in mere days through science and training challenges deeply held beliefs about human endurance and the ethics of high-altitude mountaineering. As Nepal's investigation proceeds, officials face a new dilemma: how to regulate innovation without sacrificing safety, fairness, or the economic sustainability of Everest expeditions.
