They were stranded in Nepal after the Indian government announced its lockdown, which also banned all domestic and international flights in the country since Tuesday to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The group’s spokesperson, Dr Jeevitha Brama Kumar, 31, said nine of them, including herself, arrived in Kathmandu on March 11, and took a domestic flight to Lukla and completed their gruelling trek on March 23.
The medical doctor said while the Nepal government imposed its one-week lockdown on March 24, it was the same day that her team of four were scheduled to depart to Kathmandu from Lukla.
“The other five members of our group were unwell at the EBC itself, and they were brought by helicopter out to Kathmandu on March 22, which is two days before we completed the trekking.
“We are currently stuck in the tiny village of Lukla, with no shower for 16 days and very cold temperatures. There’s no proper heating and electricity is erratic. We need to pay to charge our phones, Wi-Fi, food and water.
“We are not allowed to walk out of the confines of our lodge. Our limited funds and inability to withdraw money at the bank teller machines have forced us to ration our money,” she told Bernama through WhatsApp today.
She said they were supposed to fly from Kathmandu to Kuala Lumpur on March 29, but that has been postponed to April 13. After the movement control order (MCO) in Malaysia was extended, their flight has been pushed to April 15.
“We left Malaysia before any travel restrictions were laid down. Looking at the growing number of Covid-19 cases, we shortened our trip as well.
“Right now, nobody is allowed to trek any more. All the Malaysians in the Everest region are in Namche Bazaar, Phakding, and Lukla.
“Every time we book a flight, it gets cancelled. Some people have even booked four different flights to get home, but these keep getting cancelled,” she said.
Jeevitha said they had contacted the Malaysian embassy in Kathmandu and have given their personal details and flight number.
“Never did we imagine that the hardest part of our experience would be ending up stranded in Nepal, not knowing when we can return home,” she said.
When contacted by Bernama, the embassy’s spokesman said they were still trying to reach all the Malaysians stuck in Nepal.
“Currently, a total of 35 Malaysians are stranded in Nepal. We are still trying to reach out to the rest of them outside Kathmandu at this moment.
“Once we get the updated list, we will forward it to Wisma Putra. We want to ensure their safety before bringing them home,” he said.
The Nepal government on Monday announced a nationwide lockdown till March 31 in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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