Mountaineer safe, contacts family
Sheikh Hassan Khan, a mountaineer from Kerala climber stranded on Mount Denali in North America following a major storm, is now safe and has begun his descent.
According to officials, Alaska Governor's Chief of Staff informed the Indian Ministry of External Affairs about his rescue. Rangers from the Denali National Park are in constant contact with Mr. Khan and his companion, providing necessary assistance as they return.
In a brief call, Mr. Khan informed his family that he had descended from 17,000 feet to 13,000 feet and reached a new campsite, his mother, Shahida, said..
Mr. Khan, a native of Pandalam, had embarked on the expedition as part of a mission to plant the Indian flag in honour of the Indian Army's Operation Sindoor. Stranded at 17,000 feet with dwindling food and water supplies, he had send an SOS via satellite phone, prompting intervention by the Ministry of External Affairs.
The 38-year-old is an assistant section officer in the Finance department at the Secretariat.
The rescue operation was expedited following coordinated efforts by Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and the Indian Embassy in Washington. Mr. Khan, who set out from India on June 4 with his assistant from Chennai, had last contacted his family on June 10 before beginning his ascent.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Spain's BNB bust: Why Indian tourists are ditching tapas for Taj Mahal tours
During her spring break, an Indian MBA student enrolled in a top Spanish business school had planned to explore the Basque countryside, a quiet getaway after months of rigorous coursework. But just days before the trip, her charming bed and breakfast in San Sebastián got abruptly cancelled. With prices for alternative accommodations skyrocketing and options limited, she stayed back in Madrid and settled for local sightseeing. As Spain grapples with protests against mass tourism, anecdotes like this one are coming up frequently this year. The Spanish government recently ordered Airbnb to take down more than 66,000 rental listings that failed to comply with regulations, particularly those that didn't clarify ownership, while a Madrid court called for the immediate removal of 5,000 such listings. These moves follow mounting protests across major cities like Barcelona and Seville where locals say tourism is pricing them out of housing. That tension is now echoing back to India's outbound travel industry, with data indicating a noticeable shift away from Spain, particularly among value-conscious and mid-range Indian travellers. According to the latest data from Turespaña, Spain's national tourism board, more than 226,000 Indian tourists visited the country in 2024, growing over 60% from 2022. The increasing negative sentiment and hostility towards tourism may now weigh on the growth, say travel industry insiders. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo 'Spain has always been a favourite for Indian travellers, but over the past year, we've seen a noticeable shift,' said Tavleen Bhatia, chief marketing and revenue officer at travel services company Cleartrip. 'This year, pre-monsoon season, bookings to Spain dipped by 32%.' 'Lot of Planning Needed Now' Indian travellers are broadening their European bucket list and are increasingly turning to destinations like Georgia, Romania, Serbia and Sweden for their rich culture and more affordable experiences, Bhatia said. Live Events Other factors may also be affecting the shift in traveller intent. 'The numbers this year have been a bit muted. That can be attributed to multiple factors, like changing preferences or less disposable income to spend,' said Rajiv Mehra, general secretary of the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality. He also explained the hostility faced by tourists in Spain. 'Accommodation has become an issue of prioritising locals over tourists. Locals view tourists as the prime cause of increased rentals, and they find it unaffordable. The whole issue sprang from there. Tourists avoid those destinations where they feel unwelcome by the locals.' The lack of affordable accommodation options is also being felt. Hari Ganapathy, co-founder of customised tour package provider Pickyourtrail, said: 'A holiday in Spain now requires much earlier planning, primarily due to the limited availability of accommodations, which has become a more prominent issue recently.' The well-heeled, however, are still finding their way to the Iberian Peninsula with enthusiasm. According to SOTC Travel president SD Nandakumar, even with a 7-10% increase in tour pricing this year, 'Spain continues to witness strong interest from our customers.' The average 9N/10D itinerary is now priced around `2.9 lakh per person. Travellers are booking personalised holidays that include winery tours in La Rioja and Ribera del Duero, football stadium visits in Madrid and Barcelona, and nightlife experiences in Ibiza. There has also been a shift in where and how people travel. 'There's a clear uptick in demand for boutique hotels, luxury villas and heritage stays, reflecting the intent to slow down and explore more deeply,' he said. At Thomas Cook (India), per-person spends for Spain range from 2 lakh to 3 lakh, often with bookings in 4- to 5-star hotels or even luxury resorts. Rajeev Kale, president, Thomas Cook (India), said, 'Interestingly, we are witnessing shorter booking windows — approximately 1.5-2 months in advance, aligning with faster visa processing times.' According to Kale, emerging locales like Málaga and Costa del Sol in Andalusia, Ronda and Segovia are gaining traction.
Economic Times
2 hours ago
- Economic Times
Spain's BNB bust: Why Indian tourists are ditching tapas for Taj Mahal tours
'Lot of Planning Needed Now' Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel During her spring break, an Indian MBA student enrolled in a top Spanish business school had planned to explore the Basque countryside, a quiet getaway after months of rigorous coursework. But just days before the trip, her charming bed and breakfast in San Sebastián got abruptly cancelled. With prices for alternative accommodations skyrocketing and options limited, she stayed back in Madrid and settled for local Spain grapples with protests against mass tourism, anecdotes like this one are coming up frequently this year. The Spanish government recently ordered Airbnb to take down more than 66,000 rental listings that failed to comply with regulations, particularly those that didn't clarify ownership, while a Madrid court called for the immediate removal of 5,000 such listings. These moves follow mounting protests across major cities like Barcelona and Seville where locals say tourism is pricing them out of tension is now echoing back to India's outbound travel industry, with data indicating a noticeable shift away from Spain, particularly among value-conscious and mid-range Indian travellers. According to the latest data from Turespaña, Spain's national tourism board, more than 226,000 Indian tourists visited the country in 2024, growing over 60% from 2022. The increasing negative sentiment and hostility towards tourism may now weigh on the growth, say travel industry insiders.'Spain has always been a favourite for Indian travellers, but over the past year, we've seen a noticeable shift,' said Tavleen Bhatia, chief marketing and revenue officer at travel services company Cleartrip. 'This year, pre-monsoon season, bookings to Spain dipped by 32%.'Indian travellers are broadening their European bucket list and are increasingly turning to destinations like Georgia, Romania, Serbia and Sweden for their rich culture and more affordable experiences, Bhatia factors may also be affecting the shift in traveller intent. 'The numbers this year have been a bit muted. That can be attributed to multiple factors, like changing preferences or less disposable income to spend,' said Rajiv Mehra, general secretary of the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and also explained the hostility faced by tourists in Spain. 'Accommodation has become an issue of prioritising locals over tourists. Locals view tourists as the prime cause of increased rentals, and they find it unaffordable. The whole issue sprang from there. Tourists avoid those destinations where they feel unwelcome by the locals.'The lack of affordable accommodation options is also being felt. Hari Ganapathy, co-founder of customised tour package provider Pickyourtrail, said: 'A holiday in Spain now requires much earlier planning, primarily due to the limited availability of accommodations, which has become a more prominent issue recently.'The well-heeled, however, are still finding their way to the Iberian Peninsula with enthusiasm. According to SOTC Travel president SD Nandakumar, even with a 7-10% increase in tour pricing this year, 'Spain continues to witness strong interest from our customers.'The average 9N/10D itinerary is now priced around `2.9 lakh per person. Travellers are booking personalised holidays that include winery tours in La Rioja and Ribera del Duero, football stadium visits in Madrid and Barcelona, and nightlife experiences in Ibiza. There has also been a shift in where and how people travel.'There's a clear uptick in demand for boutique hotels, luxury villas and heritage stays, reflecting the intent to slow down and explore more deeply,' he Thomas Cook (India), per-person spends for Spain range from 2 lakh to 3 lakh, often with bookings in 4- to 5-star hotels or even luxury resorts. Rajeev Kale, president, Thomas Cook (India), said, 'Interestingly, we are witnessing shorter booking windows — approximately 1.5-2 months in advance, aligning with faster visa processing times.'According to Kale, emerging locales like Málaga and Costa del Sol in Andalusia, Ronda and Segovia are gaining traction.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Homeward bound: City prof starts 1.5k km journey to Mashhad to escape from Iran
Kolkata: It is a race against time for geography professor Falguni Dey to travel from Astara to Mashhad, through the war-ravaged Iran, where India has already started an evacuation operation. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It'll be a 1,500 km, 22-hour long journey to Mashhad from where Dey is currently camping now. Hopeful of getting entry through the Nurduz-Agarak border to Armenia, which has allowed hundreds of Indians to cross the border and head back home, Dey had applied for an e-visa with the country. On Friday late evening, Armenia declined his visa application, leaving Dey hapless and desperate. Azerbaijan, which has also been allowing foreign nationals, kept silent on his application as well. Desperate to escape Iran, Dey called up an official at the Indian embassy in Tehran on Friday night. "He suggested I reach Mashhad somehow as the Indian authorities have already started evacuating from there. There is no other way out for me. It is going to be nearly a 1,500 km journey from the northwest of Iran to the west of the country," Dey told TOI over phone. India launched Operation Sindhu earlier this week to evacuate Indians stranded in Iran after Tehran agreed to lift airspace restrictions as a "special gesture". During the evacuation operation, India evacuated 517 nationals from Iran by Saturday morning. Mashhad is close to Iran's border with Turkmenistan, and India started evacuating through a safe air corridor. Virtually penniless, Dey, on Friday night, approached a car driver who agreed to take him on the arduous and dangerous route to Mashhad. "I told him that I can transfer the amount to his bank account only when I am back in India. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He thought for a brief moment and agreed to take me to Mashhad. He was like a Godsend to me, ready to take a stranger on a 1,500 km journey with just an assurance to be paid later," he said. The 600km stretch from Tabriz in northwest Iran to Tehran was severely damaged after Israeli missile attacks. Drones, quadcopters, and spike-guided missiles bombed large parts of the country. Vibrant and noisy Tehran and the adjoining areas have transformed into abandoned streets amid an eerie silence. "We will try to bypass Tehran. We are not sure if there will be a fresh phase of attack," said Dey. While the internet is cut off in large parts of Iran, Mashhad still has connectivity. "I will be able to receive and send documents only when I am in Mashhad. I hope it will be a little better among many other Indians."
