Nepal Suspends Himlung Avalanche Search Amidst Extreme Weather
Nepal Suspends Himlung Avalanche Search Amidst Extreme Weather
Tragic news from the Himalayas! Search for 12 missing climbers on Himlung peak suspended due to treacherous weather. Four bodies recovered as Nepal grapples with deadly avalanches and widespread floods. Stay informed on
A rescue operation for 12 people missing after an avalanche swept through the base camp of Himlung Himal in Nepal has been temporarily suspended due to severe weather conditions. The devastating avalanche, which occurred on Sunday at the 7,126m peak in the Nar Phu area of Manang district near China's Tibet border, buried 16 Nepali workers preparing for expeditions.
So far, four bodies have been recovered, but 12 individuals, primarily kitchen staff, remain missing. Volunteer rescue workers from the Nepal National Mountain Guides Association (NNMGA) described dire conditions, with their search efforts hampered by 14ft of snow covering the base camp area. The NNMGA stated that heavy snow, freezing temperatures, and unstable mountain conditions have made manual searching extremely difficult and unsafe.
Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, who is leading a team of eight guides in the search, expressed a grim outlook, indicating little hope of finding the remaining missing individuals alive. “Looking at the bodies recovered, it would be impossible for the rest to survive,” he told AFP, adding that they could only resume when the snow melts sufficiently. His team had to dig through 13ft of snow to reach the base camp, recovering two mountain guides on Sunday and two kitchen staff on Monday.
This incident is part of a broader pattern of extreme weather wreaking havoc across Nepal.
Persistent rainfall and snow have created treacherous conditions for the country's vital climbing tourism industry. Just recently, between September 24 and 28, a fresh wave of severe monsoon rains triggered floods and landslides across Nepal, claiming at least 27 lives and injuring eight.
Over 1,000 families have been affected, and more than 100 livestock perished in these events.
The latest disasters follow a catastrophic flash flood a month prior, caused by a glacial collapse, which tragically killed 1,400 people and left approximately 6,000 missing. Climbers were also forced to evacuate Mount Manaslu, the world's eighth-highest peak, recently due to the escalating threat of avalanches, underscoring the severe impact of extreme weather across the region.
