Rescuers have recovered two bodies after an avalanche struck a climbing group base camp on the modest but treacherous Himlung Himal, a 7,126‑metre peak in Nepal’s Manang district.
At least a dozen team members are still missing, according to local officials. The group, comprised of Nepalese climbers and support staff, had been preparing the site for foreign climbers scheduled to follow.
Forecasts in recent days warned of heavy snowfall in the region, which lies on Nepal’s border with Tibet. The avalanche, described by witnesses as a sudden sheet of white, buried the camp within minutes.
Weather hampered the response, with helicopters unable to reach the site for several hours. A rescue crew of seasoned mountaineers was flown from Kathmandu by helicopter and is expected to continue operations on Monday, though thick snow and low visibility remain significant hurdles.
“We reported that at least eight members of the expedition were missing,” said Bibhuti Chand Thakur, chief of Himalaya Holidays Trekking. “The exact number is still unclear, but the conditions make rescue as much a challenge as the climb itself.”
The incident follows a string of severe weather events across the region, including a glacial collapse that killed more than 1,400 people in a August flood on the Nepal‑Tibet border and the killing of six climbers on Pakistan’s Broad Peak less than two months ago. Rising extreme weather, once again underlining the impact of the Pacific super‑El Niño, has put the country’s critical mountaineering tourism sector at risk.
