Nepal Busts $20M Everest Insurance Scam

0:00It's April 9th. From your city to your ears, this is Tampa Bay News today, powered by AI. Napolges drop charges on 33 people tied to a massive $20 million insurance scam hitting climbers on Mount Everest. Guides and others faked medical emergencies to trigger pricey helicopter rescues, then cashed in false claims with foreign insurers. Hospitals jumped in too, cooking up bogus reports. In video even caught a so-called critically ill climber, sipping beer at a docks cafe, this hit nearly 4,800 international climbers from 2022 to 2025, with guides slipping pills or baking. Soda into food to make folks sick. The scam popped up back in 2018, sparked probes and fixes, but it ballooned anyway as Everest draws thousands yearly needing hellia back for. Food woes, officials say they're cracking down hard now to clean up the peaks.