John P. Wise

JUST IN: Mt. Everest guides accused of “poisoning” climbers to trigger helicopter rescues as part of an insurance scam. The guides have allegedly been lacing hikers' food and pressuring them into taking expensive rescue helicopter evacuations. "Guides with the trekking agencies allegedly poisoned tourists by putting baking soda in their food to trigger severe gastrointestinal distress that mimicked altitude sickness or food poisoning," the New York Post reports. Operators would allegedly then forge medical documents and flight documents to charge international travel insurers. According to police, the groups have received $19.69 million in insurance payouts. Police in Nepal have charged 32 individuals for organized crime and fraud, including trekking company owners, helicopter operators, and hospital executives.