A major avalanche swept through a base camp at Himlung peak, a 7,126-metre mountain in central Nepal near the Chinese border, claiming at least 15 lives. The disaster struck early on Sunday when Nepali workers were setting up tents and installing rope systems in preparation for upcoming expeditions. Rescue teams have recovered 15 bodies from the site as of Thursday, when eight additional remains were discovered and transported by helicopter to Kathmandu.
A team of 11 rescuers, including experienced mountain guides, worked to excavate victims from beneath more than four metres of snow that had buried the base camp. The recovery operation began with two mountain guides found on Sunday, followed by two kitchen staff members on Monday and three additional bodies on Tuesday. Officials indicated that chances of locating one remaining missing worker were minimal and suggested the rescue operation would likely conclude soon. Foreign climbers had not yet arrived at the camp when the avalanche occurred.
The incident ranks among Nepal’s most significant mountaineering disasters in recent years. The country experienced a comparable tragedy in 2014 when an avalanche on Everest killed 16 people, and again in 2015 when an earthquake on the same peak claimed 18 lives. Himlung is a well-known destination for mountaineers beginning their experience with 7,000-metre peaks. Nepal’s mountaineering sector is critical to the nation’s economy, alongside trekking tourism.
The avalanche coincided with challenging weather conditions affecting the region. Heavy rain since Thursday has triggered additional floods and landslides across the country, killing at least 21 people according to the national disaster agency. Recovery efforts were also ongoing from devastating floods caused by a glacial collapse on 26 August, which killed over 1,400 people and left more than 5,000 unaccounted for.
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