KATHMANDU, Nepal- Police have concluded that the report about the avalanche in Mt. Saipal was nothing but only a playful joke of the locals.
The police have reached the conclusion after its team reached the so-called incident spot at the Mt. Saipal region in remote Bajhang district of the far-western Nepal for search and rescue of the missing after some locals report the incident.
Last week, locals have reported the local police and the media about the deadly avalanche in the mountain that swept away scores of Yarsagumba collectors after the avalanche hit them.
Police quoting the locals and media reports had informed Nepal Mountain Focus that two persons in the group of nine collectors survived, and went to Kanda VDC and informed the locals about the incident. The whereabouts of other seven were reportedly said unknown.
“It’s a sad story that the locals has just make a rumor of the incident,” the Kantipur daily quoted DSP Uday Tamang of Bajhang police, adding that “locals may have made the story expecting that the police would come to the place for search and rescue operations and would eventually provide security to the Yarsagumba collectors”.
Due to the remoteness of the place the local administration has not been able to reach the place soon after the rumors.
Also known as the Himalayan Viagra or Himalayan Gold, the Yarsagumba is a caterpillar fungus (Cordyceps sinensis). It is taken for an aphrodisiac and fetches handsome price in local as well as international markets.
Thousands of locals throng the upper region of the far-western districts to pick the prized fungus.
It was also believed that the yarsagumba collectors had gone to the region from Kathmandu by way of Humla.