At least 10 people, including climbers and support staff, have gone missing after an avalanche struck the base camp of Himlung Himal, a 7,126-metre peak in Nepal's Manang district bordering Tibet, expedition organisers confirmed on Sunday
Rishi Bhandari, general secretary of the Expedition Operators Association Nepal, confirmed the incident. “Yes, the incident is true,” Bhandari told The Kathmandu Post.
According to Bhandari, two of those unaccounted for are associated with Imagine Nepal Pvt Ltd, while eight are from Himalayan Holidays Nepal.
Ram Krishna Lamichhane, director general of Nepal's Department of Tourism, said the department was closely monitoring the situation. Officials were collecting further details about the incident and efforts were underway to locate and rescue those unaccounted for.
Expedition organiser Mingma Gyalje Sherpa also confirmed the avalanche, saying two of his kitchen staff were among those missing. “The avalanche hit on Sunday morning,” he said.
Sherpa said expedition teams and rope-fixing teams had evacuated the mountain slopes after receiving a weather warning last week, although some people reluctantly stayed behind.
The mountain region had experienced heavy snowfall for several days, forcing climbers to retreat from the autumn ascent of Himlung Himal. The people missing after Sunday's avalanche are from different expedition companies.
Himlung Himal, which stands at 7,126 metres in Manang district, requires an additional permit for helicopter flights, adding to the difficulties in reaching the mountain. The peak is a popular objective for climbers seeking experience at high altitude.
NEPAL BATTLES ADVERSE WEATHER
The avalanche came amid adverse weather conditions across Nepal. A weather system over the Bay of Bengal has brought heavy snowfall to the mountains and persistent rainfall to the country's hills and plains. Rain and snowfall have affected several parts of Nepal.
The country has been witnessing adverse weather since Friday, disrupting roads and prompting local authorities to close several sections to traffic. Tourism authorities have urged trekkers and climbers to suspend activities as weather conditions deteriorate. The Department of Tourism has also issued an alert advising that tourism activities be put on hold.
The latest disruption follows last month's devastating floods in Rasuwa, which killed more than 1,400 people and left more than 5,000 missing. The disaster washed away settlements along the Trishuli River and dealt another blow to Nepal's tourism industry.
Persistent rainfall and snowfall have since disrupted several trekking routes and forced the cancellation or suspension of major expeditions on Manaslu and Dhaulagiri.
BROAD PEAK AVALANCHE KILLED 10 CLIMBERS
The latest avalanche also comes weeks after the remains of three of Nepal's most decorated high-altitude guides and climbers returned home to grieving families after a massive avalanche swept them off Pakistan's Broad Peak in August.
Kili Pemba Sherpa, also widely known as Kilu, Gyalu Sherpa and Nima Sherpa arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport aboard a Qatar Airways flight from Doha.
The three guides were among 10 climbers killed when an avalanche struck at around 9:30 am on July 30 as the group climbed between Camp 2 and Camp 3, roughly 6,600 metres up the 8,051-metre Broad Peak, the world's 12th-highest mountain, in Pakistan's Karakoram range.
The entire 10-person international team perished in the avalanche. Those killed included British-Nepali climbing star Nirmal Purja, also known as Nimsdai; Pur Bahadur Gurung; Nawang Thindu Sherpa; Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy; Chinese climber Wang Zhong; Pakistani guide Sohail Sakhi; and American climber Mallory Geis.
