Ten climbers missing after avalanche hits Himalayan base camp

At Least 10 Nepali Climbers Missing After Avalanche Hits Himalaya Base Camp

At least 10 Nepali climbers are missing after an avalanche struck a base camp in the Himalayas on Sunday, as worsening weather conditions have prevented rescue teams and helicopters from reaching the area.

The climbers were local guides preparing to lead an expedition. According to the expedition organisers, they were at a staging point near the 7,126-metre (23,380-foot) Himlung Himal peak in Manang district when the avalanche hit on Sunday morning.

Weather forecasts had indicated heavy snowfall around the mountain in recent days. The peak is located along Nepal’s border with Tibet.

Bibhuti Chand Thakur of Himalaya Holidays Trekking told AFP that eight members of his expedition team and two climbers working for another company had been reported missing.

The Nepali team had been sent ahead of foreign climbers to prepare the camp, manage the route and fix ropes on the mountain.

Persistent rain and snowfall in Nepal’s mountain districts have created dangerous conditions for climbers and further complicated rescue operations. The difficult weather has also affected the country’s economically important climbing tourism industry.

Earlier this week, climbers were forced to leave Mount Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest peak, because of the increasing threat of avalanches.

The latest incident comes less than two months after six Nepali climbers died on Broad Peak in Pakistan, among them British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja.

Meanwhile, more than 50 people have died following extreme weather in India’s neighbouring Uttar Pradesh region, according to officials.

The avalanche comes as recovery efforts continue along the Nepal-Tibet border following a massive flood and landslide in August. More than 6,000 people remain missing, while more than 1,400 deaths have been confirmed after a glacial collapse in the Himalayas sent huge volumes of water and debris down the Trishuli River valley, sweeping away settlements.