Kathmandu: Two more bodies were recovered on Monday from the site of an avalanche at Himlung Himal peak in Nepal, taking the death toll to four, while eight people remained missing, according to Nepalese officials.
The avalanche struck the base camp of the 7,126-metre Himlung Himal peak in the Nar Phu area of Nepal’s Manang district on Sunday, burying tents where supporting staff and mountain guides were taking shelter, leaving 22 missing – all of them Nepalese. Rescuers have so far established contact with 10 people, officials said.
The four bodies recovered so far have been identified as Chhebi Bhote, Pasang Bhote, Birendra Gurung and Ghan Shyam Rai.
The bodies of Gurung and Rai were recovered on Monday, while the other two were found on Sunday, the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association said in a social media post.
A 14-member rescue team has been deployed to search for the missing workers and guides, who usually provide logistical and other support to climbing expeditions.
The team left Kathmandu on Sunday and stayed overnight in Chame. On Monday morning, it was flown by helicopter from Chame to the Himlung base camp, where the search operation began, it said.
Senior Captain Pasang Norbu Sherpa of Prabhu Helicopter said they took the rescue team to the base camp on Monday morning. He added that the search began after the helicopter dropped the team at the base camp.
Guides experienced in high-altitude work are searching likely locations and assessing the situation.
The operation has been made difficult by bad weather and challenging mountain conditions.
Around two dozen Nepali high-altitude workers and guides from Himalayan Holidays and Imagine Nepal Trek and Expedition had travelled from Kathmandu to Himlung Himal about two weeks ago to prepare for the climbing season.
They had been working on the climbing route and preparing the base camp.
The avalanche on Sunday occurred amid continuous rain and snowfall in Nepal’s mountain districts, which have also triggered landslides and floods.
It came at a time when Nepal is still recovering from devastating flash floods in August that killed more than 1,450 people and left around 5,000 missing.
Author
Related Stories
Most Read
- 1Argentina’s ‘Vanishing Sea’: Rare Low Tide
- 2Effect of the 12 August 2026 Solar Eclipse on the 12 Zodiac Signs, Know Who Will Benefit and Who Will Have to Be Careful
- 3HC finds peon’s dismissal over tea and biscuits amounted to ‘injustice’
- 4Brace for 29 June: a Capricorn Full Moon, Mercury retrograde and Jupiter’s leap into Leo
- 5Japan Coach’s Whiteboard Tactics Go Viral at FIFA World Cup
