Kathmandu, May 5 -- In the early hours on Tuesday, the Expedition Operators Association Nepal reached out to a drone operator to help locate climbers after a serac collapse in the Khumbu Icefall triggered panic along the Everest climbing route.

But the operator-Airlift Technology, a Nepali tech startup-could not respond.

The company, which has a tripartite agreement with the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality to transport garbage and supplies between Base Camp and Camp I, had its operations abruptly suspended on April 30 evening by the home ministry, citing unspecified security concerns.

The suspension came without a detailed explanation, leaving local authorities and operators ...