At least 10 Nepalese climbers have been reported missing after an avalanche struck a base camp near Himlung Himal in Nepal’s Manang district on Sunday morning, with heavy snowfall and poor weather conditions hampering rescue operations.
The climbers were part of teams preparing to scale the 7,126-metre Himlung Himal, which lies close to Nepal’s border with Tibet.
They had been staying at a staging area near the mountain when the avalanche hit.
According to Bibhuti Chand Thakur of Himalaya Holidays Trekking, eight members of one expedition team and two climbers working with another company are among those reported missing.
The climbers had reportedly been sent ahead of foreign mountaineers to prepare the expedition camp, organise routes and fix ropes on the mountain ahead of the climbing season.
However, rescue teams and helicopters have been unable to reach the affected area due to severe weather.
Heavy snowfall has been recorded around Himlung Himal in recent days, increasing the risk of further avalanches and making access to the site difficult.
The incident comes amid worsening weather conditions across Nepal’s mountain districts, where persistent rain and snowfall have raised concerns for climbers and guides during the busy mountaineering season.
Earlier this week, climbers were forced to abandon Mount Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest mountain, because of the growing threat of avalanches.
The latest avalanche also comes less than two months after six climbers were killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak, including renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja.
Purja’s body was recovered on August 2 at an altitude of about 5,700 metres.
Three other bodies were also spotted on the mountain at the time, although their identities were initially unknown.
The 43-year-old, who was born in Nepal and later served in the British Army, gained international recognition after climbing all 14 of the world’s highest peaks in just over six months in 2019.
The latest incident is part of a series of weather-related disasters reported across the wider Himalayan region in recent months, underscoring the risks facing communities and mountaineers in the region.
