Nepal avalanche toll rises to four as eight remain missing at Himlung
Two more bodies were recovered on Monday from the site of an avalanche at Himlung Himal peak in Nepal, taking the death toll to four, while eight people remained missing, Nepalese officials said.
The avalanche hit the base camp of the 7,126-metre Himlung Himal peak in Nepal on Sunday, burying tents where supporting staff and mountain guides were taking shelter. All 22 people reported missing after the avalanche were Nepalese, and rescuers have so far established contact with 10 of them.
The four dead have been identified as Chhebi Bhote, Pasang Bhote, Birendra Gurung and Ghan Shyam Rai. The bodies of Gurung and Rai were recovered on Monday, while the other two were found on Sunday, the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association said in a social media post.
A 14-member rescue team has been deployed to search for the missing workers and guides, who provide logistical and other support to climbing expeditions. The team left Kathmandu on Sunday and stayed overnight in Chame. On Monday morning, it was flown by helicopter from Chame to the Himlung base camp, where the search operation began. Senior Captain Pasang Norbu Sherpa of Prabhu Helicopter said the rescue team was taken to the base camp on Monday morning and the search started after it was dropped there.
Guides experienced in high-altitude work are searching likely locations and assessing the situation, but bad weather and difficult mountain conditions have made the operation harder. Around two dozen Nepali high-altitude workers and guides from Himalayan Holidays and Imagine Nepal Trek and Expedition had travelled from Kathmandu to Himlung Himal about two weeks ago to prepare for the climbing season. They had been working on the climbing route and getting the base camp ready.
The avalanche came amid continuous rain and snowfall in Nepal's mountain districts, which have also triggered landslides and floods. The country is also still recovering from flash floods in August that killed more than 1,450 people and left around 5,000 missing. So far, four bodies have been recovered from the Himlung Himal avalanche site, 10 people have been contacted, and the search continues for the remaining eight.
