Nepal has formally opened the spring 2026 Mount Everest climbing season, even as authorities continue to grapple with a massive fake rescue scam that has drained millions of dollars from international insurance companies and damaged the country’s mountaineering reputation.
The Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation issued the first climbing permit of the season on March 30, marking the official start of Himalayan climbing activities on the world’s highest peak. The team is scheduled to depart Kathmandu today and will attempt the summit via the Everest Normal Route.
Nepalese officials expect nearly 500 climbers to attempt Everest this season, while thousands more will trek to base camp. Teams of “icefall doctors” have already begun fixing ropes and ladders along the dangerous Khumbu Icefall route. But behind the climbing season lies a growing crackdown on fraudulent helicopter rescues that authorities say spiralled out of control between 2022 and 2025.
Fake Helicopter Rescues
Between 2022 and 2025, Nepal Police confirmed more than 300 fake helicopter rescues, leading to fraudulent insurance claims worth nearly $20 million. To curb the scam, police filed 33 cases, including charges related to organised crime.
In February, The New York Times reported that Nepalese authorities arrested six people in connection with an elaborate rescue racket in which climbers were evacuated unnecessarily from Everest and other Himalayan peaks.
According to police, the accused, all Nepali nationals, held managerial or senior roles in three Kathmandu-based mountain rescue agencies. They were arrested on January 25 following a four-month investigation by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB).
How The Scam Worked
In a detailed report, The Kathmandu Post said rescue agencies routinely pressured foreign climbers to request helicopter evacuations for minor illnesses that could have been treated on site. In many cases, no evacuation was required at all. Yet climbers were convinced that their lives were in danger and that immediate airlift was the only option.
Authorities said the agencies falsified passenger manifests and medical reports, often in collusion with private hospitals in Kathmandu, allowing them to extract large sums from international insurance companies for rescues that were unnecessary or entirely fabricated.
In one instance, a rescue agency billed insurers for four separate helicopter evacuations, even though all four climbers were flown out in a single helicopter.
The three agencies named by investigators were Mountain Rescue, Everest Experience and Assistance, and Nepal Charter Service.
Manufacturing A “Medical Emergency”
According to the CIB, fake rescues were triggered in two main ways. The first involved trekkers who simply did not want to walk back after completing strenuous routes such as the Everest Base Camp trek. Guides would suggest pretending to be ill and would handle all evacuation formalities.
The second method was more disturbing. At altitudes above 3,000 metres, mild symptoms of altitude sickness, such as headaches or low oxygen levels, are common and usually manageable with rest or descent. Investigators found that guides and hotel staff were trained to scare tourists, telling them they could die unless evacuated immediately. In some cases, Diamox tablets were administered alongside excessive water intake to deliberately worsen symptoms. In at least one documented case, baking powder was mixed into food to make tourists physically unwell, The Kathmandu Post reported.
Once a helicopter rescue was initiated, the financial fraud escalated. A single helicopter often carried multiple climbers, but insurance companies were billed separately for each passenger, as if individual flights had been chartered. A flight costing about $4,000 could result in an insurance claim of $12,000 or more.
Fake flight manifests, load sheets, and hospital records were created. Some hospitals prepared discharge summaries using digital signatures of senior doctors who were never involved in treatment. In certain cases, these records were created without the doctors’ knowledge.
Investigators also uncovered hospital admission records for tourists who were reportedly drinking beer in hospital cafeterias while supposedly undergoing medical treatment.
Police said the scam was sustained by an elaborate commission system. Hospitals paid 20% to 25% of insurance payouts to trekking companies and another 20% to 25% to helicopter operators.
Trekking guides benefited from inflated invoices, and in some cases, tourists themselves were offered cash incentives to participate in the scheme.
Striking Numbers From The Probe
- Between 2022 and 2025, investigators identified 4,782 foreign patients treated at hospitals linked to the racket. Of these, 171 cases were confirmed as fake rescues.
- During this period, Era International Hospital received deposits exceeding $15.87 million and Shreedhi International Hospital received over $1.22 million.
- Mountain Rescue Service alone conducted 171 fraudulent rescues from 1,248 charter flights, claiming about $10.31 million.
- Nepal Charter Service carried out 75 fake rescues, claiming $8.2 million.
- Everest Experience and Assistance was linked to 71 suspicious rescues, with claims totalling $11.04 million.
In one case, four tourists were rescued on the same helicopter, on the same day, using the same manifest. Insurers were billed separately, resulting in claims of $31,100, plus a hospital bill of $11,890.
The fake rescue racket is not new. The Kathmandu Post first exposed the practice in 2018, prompting the government to form a fact-finding committee that produced a 700-page report documenting widespread abuse.
Despite promised reforms, police later found that the fraud not only continued but expanded. The CIB reopened the case last year, uncovering evidence that the network had grown larger and more organised.
Everest Climbers Face Tighter Rules
As the 2026 season begins, climbers will encounter stricter regulations. Nepal has introduced a streamlined permit process and new reporting requirements. All rescue operations must now be formally reported to the Department of Tourism and the Tourist Police.
Among the high-profile climbers this season is Australian adventurer Oliver Foran, who aims to set the fastest time from sea level to Everest’s summit. Foran plans to cycle from the Indian Ocean to Nepal before beginning his climb, according to The Times.
Now, as Everest braces for another crowded season, Nepalese authorities face pressure to put an end to one of the country’s most damaging tourism scandals.
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