Two people lost their lives due to an avalanche at the Himlung Himal base camp in Nepal, and at least 14 others are missing. This avalanche occurred at an altitude of 7,126 meters on Sunday morning after several days of heavy rain and snow in the area.
Details of the Incident
The deceased and missing individuals were all mountain guides and staff from Nepali expedition companies who were preparing the base camp for clients intending to summit the mountain. According to the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association, "A total of 14 kitchen staff and two climbing guides from various companies are missing. Two climbing guides were found, but unfortunately, both had lost their lives."
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Search Operations and Weather Conditions
Conflicting information exists regarding the number of people present in the border area with Tibet at the time of the incident. Local police reported that at least 22 people were at the base camp when the avalanche occurred. Bibhuti Chand Thakur, head of Himalayan Holidays Nepal, stated that search and rescue operations are ongoing and that "the chance of survival is still high due to the fresh snow." He also added that the exact number of missing or rescued individuals is still unclear, as the area is remote and communication is cut off.
Nepali officials had warned over the weekend about severe weather conditions across the country. Rainfall since Thursday has affected large parts of the country, and heavy snowfall has been reported in the northern regions. These conditions have disrupted roads and trekking routes, causing delays in climbing and trekking activities on several mountains.
Nepal, as a country that houses eight of the fourteen mountains over 8,000 meters in the world, holds significant importance for mountain tourism and trekking, which is vital for the country's economy. The recent avalanche occurs while Nepal is still recovering from devastating floods that claimed over 1,400 lives in August and left thousands more missing.
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