Two Israeli siblings airlifted from Nepal village after storm causes landslides, flooding

Israeli siblings Maya and Nadav Lamdan were rescued by helicopter on Sunday from the village of Samagaun in Nepal's Manaslu trekking region, after enduring a dangerous storm that caused landslides and flooding. The siblings, aged 27 and 21 respectively, were from Tzur Hadassah and were evacuated to Kathmandu for medical examination.

Their sister, Roni, who traveled with them, did not participate in the trek. The Lamdan siblings had ventured to Nepal after completing military service. They had decided to stay in the village for safety, rather than continuing their trek, but the situation rapidly deteriorated. The siblings spent 12 hours without electricity or heating as temperatures dropped below freezing.

When a loud noise was heard around 3:00 a.m., indicating a potential landslide, they were told to evacuate to the roof. The Lamdans spent the night on the roof, awaiting further updates. Throughout the day, there were four more smaller landslides. All locals were rushing to higher grounds, creating a chaotic scene. The Lamdans were among at least 10 other Israelis who were in the village at the time.

They were evacuated by PassportCard helicopter to Kathmandu and were reported to be physically unharmed, though mentally they were struggling with the experience. Clal Insurance and Finance, an insurance company, reported assisting several Israeli travelers in Nepal due to the severe weather. At least 17 of Clal's insured travelers were in the Annapurna region, including Samagaun, while others were in the Tsum Valley and Everest region.

Clal's rescue teams were working tirelessly to evacuate insured Israeli travelers in need of assistance.