Nepal Avalanche Leaves Seven Climbers Dead, Several Injured | World News

Nepal Avalanche: In a shocking incident, at least seven climbers, including five foreigners and two Nepali guides, died after being caught in an avalanche on a Himalayan peak in northeastern Nepal, officials said on Monday. The avalanche hit the base camp on Yalung Ri Mountain in the Dolakha region at around 9:00 am local time (03:15 GMT), the BBC reported.

Rescue teams have found two bodies so far, while the search continues for the remaining five climbers believed to be buried under 10 to 15 feet of snow, according to expedition agency Seven Summit Treks. Eight injured climbers were rescued and taken to Kathmandu for treatment.

The victims included two Italians, a Canadian, a German, a French citizen and two Nepalis working as guides. They were all part of a larger group that started climbing in the early hours of the day before the avalanche hit.

Local police chief Gyan Kumar Mahato told BBC Nepali that a rescue helicopter had arrived in Na Gaun district, about a five-hour walk from Yalung Ri base camp. However, he said that bad weather conditions and difficult terrain made the rescue operation difficult.

According to The Kathmandu Post, one of the survivors said that they called for help many times after the avalanche, but it took a long time for rescue teams to arrive. “If the rescue team had arrived on time, more lives could have been saved,” Dağcı said. The group was reportedly preparing to climb the nearby 6,332-meter Dolma Khang peak and had included Yalung Ri (5,630 meters) in its acclimatization plans.

In a separate incident, the bodies of two Italian mountaineers who went missing on Panbari mountain in western Nepal were also found on Tuesday. They were part of a three-man team that lost communication with base camp following heavy snowfall on October 28.