Kathmandu: At least 10 people have gone missing after an avalanche struck the base camp of Himlung Himal in western Nepal, near the Tibet border, on Sunday.
Two members of his kitchen staff were among those missing, expedition organiser Mingma Gyalje Sherpa said. “The avalanche hit on Sunday morning,” he said, as reported by ANI.
Expedition and rope-fixing teams had evacuated the mountain slopes after a weather warning was issued last week, Mingma said. However, some people remained at the site despite the worsening conditions.
The region has been receiving heavy snowfall for several days, forcing climbers to retreat from autumn expeditions. Those missing in Sunday’s avalanche are believed to be associated with different expedition companies.
Standing at 7,126 metres in Nepal’s Manang district, Himlung Himal is a popular high-altitude climbing destination. Helicopter access to the region requires an additional permit, making rescue operations more difficult, as reported by The Times of India.
The avalanche occurred when a weather system over the Bay of Bengal brought heavy snowfall to Nepal’s mountain regions and persistent rain to the country’s hills and plains.
Several parts of Nepal have been affected by the adverse weather conditions since Friday. Road connectivity has been disrupted as authorities have been forced close down some sections to traffic.
This comes a month after the devastating flash floods in the country that killed more than 1,400 people and left over 5,000 missing. The floods washed away settlements along the Trishuli River and dealt a major blow to Nepal’s tourism sector.
The inclement weather has disrupted several trekking routes and led to the cancellation or suspension of major expeditions to Manaslu and Dhaulagiri.
