AMN/ WEB DESK
At least four people lost their lives and 12 others are missing after an avalanche struck the base camp of Mount Himlung in mountainous Manang district. According to Manang’s Chief District Officer Mukti Prasad Khanal, the bodies of four people have been recovered from the site. Two bodies have been airlifted to Kathmandu, while two others have been brought to Chame, the district headquarters. More than two dozen expedition guides and support staff from various expedition companies were believed to have been stationed at the base camp of the 7,126-meter-tall mountain when the avalanche struck the area. They had been preparing the site by fixing ropes and setting up tents ahead of the autumn climbing season.
Officials said 11 people have made contact following the incident, while 27 people were believed to have been at the base camp when the avalanche hit. Rescue operations are underway with helicopters deployed to the affected area. Improved weather conditions have helped rescue efforts after several days of heavy rainfall triggered landslides and flooding in parts of Nepal, including Manang.
The incident comes just a month after a catastrophic flooding disaster near the Nepal-China border, triggered by a huge glacier collapse and landslide, killed more than 1,400 people and left more than 5,000 missing.