Authorities in Everest region and tourism bodies in Nepal denounced the “baseless” media reports alleging that guides in the Everest region deliberately contaminated food and drinks to make tourists sick and trigger fraudulent helicopter rescues.

Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, which governs the Everest region, and associations of guides and trekking agencies of the country weighed in refuting the news reports in local and international media about malpractices among emergency heli evacuation from high up places.

Issuing a statement on Sunday, the Municipality said the allegations were unverified and damaging to the reputation of the Khumbu region, the Sherpa community and local service providers.

Municipality chairperson Mingma Tshiri Sherpa expressed serious concern over such reports, calling for responsible and evidence-based reporting.

The municipality cited a statement from Nepal Police’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), which is leading a probe into fake helicopter rescues, as saying no evidence has been found to support claims of food adulteration.

Similarly, the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association (NNMGA) also rejected the allegations, saying there is no verified evidence linking certified guides — including those with internationally recognized IFMGA accreditation — to fake rescue schemes or deliberate poisoning of tourists.

In a statement, NNMGA said that while isolated cases of fraudulent rescues may have involved certain individuals or companies, these should not be conflated with the broader mountaineering profession.

“All reported cases to date relate to trekking activities, and not a single substantiated case involving mountaineering operations has emerged,” said NNMGA General Secretary Pimba Tenjing Lama.

The association urged media and the public to avoid sweeping generalizations and called on authorities to conduct thorough investigations to ensure accountability.

The Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) similarly backed the ongoing CIB investigation and warned against what it described as misleading reports about food poisoning.

TAAN Secretary General Sonam Gyaljen Sherpa said the association is cooperating with investigators and expressed confidence that the judicial process would determine responsibility fairly.

“The innocent must not suffer unnecessarily, and the guilty must not escape,” the association said in a statement.

Authorities including the Nepal Mountaineering Association and tourism officials have also dismissed the poisoning claims, describing them as “unimaginable” and unsupported by evidence.

Officials say that while fraudulent helicopter rescues are a real issue under investigation, there is no proof supporting the more serious allegation that guides intentionally made tourists ill to facilitate such operations.

Tourism stakeholders have warned that conflating the two issues risks undermining Nepal’s reputation at the start of the crucial spring climbing season, when thousands of trekkers and mountaineers travel to the Himalayas.

They have called on media outlets to verify information before publication and urged travellers to choose reputable, certified guides and agencies.