Helicopter rescue fraud in Everest preys on Turkish trekker

A Turkish trekker claimed that she was the target of a scam by Nepali guides who pushed her for a costly medical evacuation after getting sick from height when she was heading to the Mount Everest Base Camp.

Merve Bakdur, a lawyer and doctoral student, has agreed with a tour company to realize her lifelong dream of trekking on Mount Everest and set out for Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, after paying the tour fees.

Staying in Kathmandu for the first night with the group she was going to walk with, Bakdur started hiking from the foothills of the Earth's highest mountain, but when they reached the last point where those who are not professional mountaineers can climb, she was affected by the height difference.

After the group guide quickly called the helicopter ambulance for evacuation, the young trekker opened her eyes at a hospital in central Kathmandu, but she faced a nightmare when it was time to be discharged following her treatment.

Finding out that she owed $1,500 to the hospital and $6,000 to the helicopter ambulance, Bakdur called the company she made an insurance deal in Turkey with for the trip, explaining what happened to her.

However, Bakdur received the answer that the insurance did not cover these fees.

"Insurance company officials were waiting at the door of my room in the hospital. They started getting rude when I said I didn't have such money," she noted, adding that she was told that she could not leave the hospital without paying the fee.

"With the last money in my bank, I first paid the hospital fee so that my bill would not increase further. I only had $100 left. When I came back to the hotel where I stayed for the first night in Kathmandu, the helicopter company learned about the location of...