Nepal rescuers find bodies of five climbers killed last year

KATHMANDU, Aug 8 — The bodies of five climbers, including three foreigners, who perished in an avalanche last November near the Chinese border have been discovered, according to a local government official in Nepal. Biswash Karki, chairman of Gaurishankar Rural Municipality, confirmed the grim discovery to AFP. The climbers were an Italian-Canadian, a German, and an Italian, he revealed.

The catastrophic event occurred on the lower slopes of the 5,630-metre Yalung Ri peak, situated near Nepal's border with Tibet. The bodies were found on Thursday, with local authorities already on high alert to recover them. Despite deploying the army, police, and local rescue teams, the thick snow had concealed the victims' remains, Karki explained.

Senior local police officer Manoj Kumar Lama informed AFP that a rescue helicopter had been dispatched to the scene on Friday, but bad weather prevented the team from reaching the spot. They plan to airlift the bodies once the weather conditions improve. Nepal, renowned for housing eight of the world's ten highest peaks, including Mount Everest, attracts hundreds of climbers and trekkers annually.

According to the Himalayan Database, over 1,000 people have lost their lives on peaks since 1950, with avalanches claiming nearly a third of them.