Avalanche in the Himalayas leaves 10 Nepali mountaineers missing

Ten Nepali mountaineers are missing after an avalanche swept through a shelter in the Himalayas, where they were preparing for a mountain expedition.

Authorities in Nepal said the group consisted of Nepali guides. They were at a staging point near the summit of Himalung Himal, in Manang district, when the avalanche struck on Sunday morning.

The mountaineers had been sent to the area ahead of the foreign expedition’s arrival, tasked with setting up the shelter, organizing the route and fixing ropes along the mountain. BBC

Himalung Himal stands at an elevation of 7,126 meters and is located near the border between Nepal and Tibet. In recent days, weather forecasts had warned of heavy snowfall in the summit area.

Severe weather has hampered efforts to search for and rescue the missing people. Due to the weather conditions, helicopters and emergency teams have been unable to reach the site hit by the avalanche.

The avalanche risk has also forced mountaineers to leave Mount Manaslu, which ranks as the eighth-highest peak in the world.

The incident occurred about two months after an avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak, where six people lost their lives. Among the victims was the renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja.

The effects of the extreme weather have also been felt farther south, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, where local authorities report more than 50 fatalities.