A catastrophic avalanche ripped through a Himalayan base camp in Nepal on Monday, tragically killing at least seven climbers. Local officials confirmed the disaster, which occurred after a powerful cyclone brought exceptionally heavy snowfall to the renowned mountaineering region.
According to Gyan Kumar Mahato, the chief of police in Dolakha district, a group of five international climbers and ten experienced Nepali guides were at the Yalung Ri peak base camp when the avalanche hit, engulfing them without warning.
Mingma Sherpa, head of the rescue operation from Seven Summit Treks, confirmed the fatalities: three Italians, two Nepalis, one German, and one French national.
Seven other individuals from the group were successfully rescued, with one even managing to trek to a nearby village independently, Sherpa reported on Tuesday. Among the rescued, three Nepalis and two French climbers required immediate medical attention and were airlifted to Kathmandu, the capital city.
The search for four climbers, who were initially reported missing on Monday, faced significant obstacles due to severe weather. Helicopters were unable to land in the perilous region, delaying rescue efforts, as explained by Mr. Mahato.
The climbers were at Yalung Ri base camp, located at approximately 16,000 feet, undergoing acclimatization. Their ultimate goal was to ascend the 20,774-foot Dolma Khang peak within the same district, Mr. Mahato noted.
Nepalese officials suggested that the drastic shift in weather — from last week’s heavy snowfall and rain, brought by Cyclone Montha, to Sunday’s sunny conditions — likely contributed to the avalanche. They believe these temperature fluctuations created unstable snowpack conditions.
Himal Gautam, a spokesperson for Nepal’s Department of Tourism, commented, “While we suspect the extensive snowfall may have been a key factor in this tragedy, a definitive conclusion has not yet been reached.”
Beyond this incident, the severe snowfall had already left hundreds of trekkers and climbers stranded throughout the Himalayas, necessitating numerous rescue operations by Nepalese authorities. This included freeing 15 individuals trapped in the Mustang district. In a separate grim discovery on Tuesday morning, rescue teams located the bodies of two Italian climbers who had vanished a week prior during an attempt to summit Panbari mountain in Gorkha district, as reported by Raj Kumar Shrestha, the district chief of police.
Cyclone Montha, which originated in the Bay of Bengal earlier last week, rapidly escalated into a severe cyclonic storm, generating winds of up to 70 miles per hour. As it progressed into central Nepal last Friday, the government issued warnings for heavy rainfall across several provinces, including Bagmati, the location of Yalung Ri.
The U.S. National Weather Service highlights that heavy snowfall or rainfall within a 24-hour period is a critical indicator of increased avalanche risk.
Even with Nepal experiencing recent political unrest, including deadly protests in September that led to the government’s collapse and extensive damage to official buildings, the autumn mountaineering season has seen unprecedented popularity. The Nepalese tourism department reported issuing climbing permits to a staggering 1,450 climbers from 83 nations between September and the end of the current month – the highest number in a decade.