Update January 2010

Currently no persons are reported missing to HRDSN.
Please check out the archive below to see more information about former cases.

Cases archive

Due to the start of the Maoist People's War in 1996 HRDSN search parties were forbidden by the Nepalese police and the Maoist area commands.

• Cases between 1990 and 1996
  1. 1996 Mike Rudof, USA
  2. 1996 Pemba Norbu, Nepal (unsolved)
  3. 1995 Marcel Timmer Arents, The Netherlands (unsolved)
  4. 1995 Four trekkers buried deep in a rockslide at the same spot and were never found back
  5. 1995 The Gokyo Disaster, Nepal
  6. 1995 Johan Hinrich Kaarstens, Germany (unsolved)
  7. 1995 Aya Sato, Japan (unsolved)
  8. 1993 Heike Bergerhoff & son Sebastian Bergerhoff, Germany
  9. 1993 Dr. Peter Reuter, Germany
  10. 1992 Tim Alven, Sweden
  11. 1992 Michael Scott Wenger, USA
  12. 1991 James Scott, Australia
  13. 1991 Shim Gun, Korea (unsolved)
  14. 1990 Patrick Lahoese, Belgium
• Cases after 2003
  1. 2008 Julian Wynne, UK (unsolved)
  2. 2006 Kristina Kovacevic, Germany
  3. 2005 Sabine Grüneklee, Germany
  4. 2005 Céline Henry, France (unsolved)
  5. 2004 Gareth David Koch, UK (unsolved)
  6. 2003 Kushagra Vasant Singh, India (unsolved)
  7. 2003 Alex James Ratnasothy, Ireland (unsolved)

HRDSN is coming to the following conclusions about these cases:

While before Maoist insurgency the majority of missing cases could be considered accidents and private affairs, the cases that appear now are a sign that the 10 years period of mayhem and murder amongst civilians during the Maoist People's War has changed the behavior of Nepalese people. Violent assaults and no more respect for the elderly in Nepal has taken away, also the reluctance by some elements to harm foreign visitors for personal gains. This is as great a loss as the loss of more than 13000 Nepalese lives during the 10 bitter years of insurgency.

Opinion links:
Nepalnews May 2006
Webindia May 2006

HRDSN is in no way interested to scare foreign visitors out of Nepal. Statistically Nepal still belongs to the exclusive club of top ten safest tourist destinations along with all countries of Scandinavia, Japan, China, The USA, Iceland and Turkey.

Do NEVER trek alone anywhere in the world, exceptions and tragedies can occur anywhere and at any time!!! The most unsafe place may be your own home and neighborhood, statistically most accidents and murders occur at home.

For information on rescue procedures, please download our terms & conditions.