Rescuers search for missing workers after Nepal avalanche kills two

Rescuers searched Monday for Nepali expedition workers missing after an avalanche struck their camp on Himlung Himal, killing at least two people. Thick snow and poor weather hampered efforts to reach the mountain.

The avalanche hit Sunday morning at a base camp on the 7,126-metre (23,380-foot) peak in Nepal’s Manang district. The workers, including climbers and support staff, had gone ahead of foreign clients to prepare the camp, manage the route and fix ropes for the autumn climbing season.

The number still missing was unclear. The BBC reported that around a dozen people were thought to be unaccounted for. Bibhuti Chand Thakur of Himalaya Holidays Trekking told AFP that at least eight members of his expedition team had been reported missing. Tul Singh Gurung, president of the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association, gave a higher figure, telling AFP that 14 expedition workers were still missing.

“Two bodies were found as rescuers worked until 6pm (12:30 GMT) last night,” Gurung said. “The search continues for 14 expedition workers who are still missing.”

At least 10 people were rescued from the mountain, Al Jazeera reported. The two bodies were airlifted Monday to Kathmandu airport and taken to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, according to Al Jazeera. All those killed or missing were Nepali nationals.

A team of eight mountain guides was involved in the search, Gurung said. The BBC reported that experienced mountaineers had been flown from Kathmandu to assist. Poor weather initially prevented helicopters and rescue teams from reaching the site. Forecasts had shown heavy snowfall around Himlung Himal in recent days.

Heavy rain also caused flooding and landslides in Manang over the weekend, the district administration said. Nepal’s government issued severe-weather warnings across the country. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 21 people had died and five were missing in other parts of Nepal between Thursday and Sunday, according to Al Jazeera.

Persistent rain and snow have disrupted climbing elsewhere in Nepal. Climbers left Mount Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest peak, earlier in the week because of a growing avalanche threat, the BBC reported.

Nepal is also recovering from August flooding that swept away several villages and killed more than 1,400 people, Al Jazeera reported. Citing the disaster authority, the outlet said 5,500 people were still missing and 13,795 had been rescued. Al Jazeera reported that researchers from the World Weather Attribution group described the disaster as a “compound crisis” shaped by long-term warming, glacier retreat, permafrost thaw and geological instability, rather than a single extreme weather event.