At least two people lost their lives and 10 others were unaccounted for after an avalanche in Manang district in the Nepalese Himalayas came down on the base camp of the Himlung Himal while others were injured, police officials have said.
The avalanche swept down to the base camp of the 7126m Himlung Himal peak in the Nar Phu area and buried a tent where climbers and support personnel were sheltering in place. When the avalanche hit there were reportedly nine climbers and 13 support staff in the tent.
Around 12 people were originally reported missing after the incident, says Deputy Superintendent of Police Shailendra Thapa. Two were later rescued off the mountain and 10 were still missing.
Police officials said that all the 10 who have not been located are ‘Nepalese nationals’. A helicopter was sent to the area to help with search and rescue tasks, though conditions might be challenging because it was a difficult mountain environment.
The missing staff belonged to two trekking companies, one called Himalayan Holidays Nepal (HHN), and the other named Imagine Nepal Treks. Post-avalanche, HHN lost contact with members of the expedition, according to an official of the company.
One of the expedition members called up and gave the news that after the avalanche reached the base camp their friends had vanished, the official said. It was reported that the climbers and support were divided up after the accident and few information was reported regarding the location of several persons.
Nepal’s Department of Tourism director general Ram Krishna Lamichhane added that the authorities were closely watching the situation and rescue activities were ongoing.
Meanwhile, heavy rains and snowfalls had been recorded in the mountain regions of Nepal. The bad weather has also caused landslides and flooding in some areas, which are making rescue and emergency teams’ jobs more difficult.
The search is on-going in the Himlung Himal for missing climbers and support staffs and to determine the extent of the avalanche.