Authorities in Nepal are conducting a search operation for 12 missing individuals after an avalanche struck Mount Himlung, claiming the lives of at least two climbers. The incident occurred on Sunday amid harsh weather conditions on the 7,126-meter peak located in north-central Nepal.
Ten survivors have already been rescued from the site. The bodies of the two victims were airlifted to Kathmandu on Monday and transferred to the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. Tul Singh Gurung, president of the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association, confirmed that rescuers worked until 6 p.m. local time to locate the remains.
“The search continues for 14 expedition workers who are still missing,” Gurung told AFP, noting that a team of eight mountain guides is involved in the ongoing effort. All those killed or unaccounted for are Nepali nationals. The group was stationed at a base camp preparing for foreign clients ahead of the autumn climbing season, which began this month.
The avalanche coincides with broader severe weather warnings issued across the Himalayan nation. According to the district administration in Manang, where the mountain is situated, heavy rainfall over the weekend triggered additional flooding and landslides.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) reported that 21 other people died and five more remain missing in various parts of Nepal between Thursday and Sunday due to the adverse conditions. These latest casualties add to the humanitarian crisis stemming from devastating floods in August, which killed more than 1,400 people, left approximately 5,500 individuals missing, and resulted in 13,795 rescues.
Researchers from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) published a report last week attributing the recent disasters not to a single extreme event, but to a “compound crisis” driven by long-term warming, glacier retreat, permafrost thaw, and geological instability.
Two dead, ten rescued, twelve missing. That’s a twenty-two person team! How did they all get caught like that?
The WWA report is terrifying. This isn’t just bad luck; it’s a clear indicator of our compound climate crisis.
Is the search continuing with daylight hours or are they halting due to the severe weather warnings?
It’s tragic that all the victims are Nepali nationals. The heavy lifting always falls on local workers.
Twelve still missing is heartbreaking. Praying for safe recovery for all the stranded climbers out there.