At least seven climbers; five foreigners and two Nepalis; were killed after an avalanche struck their expedition on the slopes of Yalung Ri, a Himalayan peak in northeastern Nepal, authorities said Tuesday, according to BBC News.
The avalanche hit around 9 a.m. local time Monday near the mountain’s base camp in Dolakha district, about 180 kilometers east of Kathmandu. The group had begun their climb roughly an hour earlier, according to local police.
Rescue teams have recovered two bodies and are searching for the remaining five, who are believed to be buried under more than ten feet of snow, said Mingma Sherpa, chairman of the expedition organizer Seven Summit Treks. “It will take time to find them,” he told reporters.
The victims include two Italians, a Canadian, a German, a French national, and two Nepali guides. Eight other climbers were rescued and flown to Kathmandu for medical treatment. One survivor told The Kathmandu Post that repeated calls for help went unanswered for hours. “Had the rescue arrived sooner, more lives could have been saved,” he said.
Rescue efforts were hindered by poor weather, snow, and rugged terrain. “Helicopters struggled to reach the site because of clouds and wind,” said Gyan Kumar Mahato, the district’s deputy police superintendent.
The team had been acclimatizing on the 5,630-meter Yalung Ri before attempting to climb the nearby Dolma Khang peak, which rises to 6,332 meters (20,774 feet).
In a separate incident, the bodies of two Italian climbers missing on Panbari mountain in western Nepal were recovered on Tuesday. Stefano Farronato and Alessandro Caputo had gone missing after heavy snowfall on October 28. A third teammate, 65-year-old Velter Perlino, and one Sherpa were rescued.
Autumn is one of Nepal’s busiest climbing seasons, with generally stable weather and clear skies. But this year, conditions have turned treacherous. Last week, remnants of Cyclone Montha brought heavy snow and rain, stranding hundreds of trekkers including several Westerners across the Himalayas.
