Two dead after avalanche hits Himlung Himal base camp in Nepal; 10 missing

An avalanche struck the base camp of Himlung Himal in Nepal's Manang district on Sunday, resulting in the deaths of two people and leaving 10 others missing. The camp, situated at a height of 7,126 meters, housed climbers and support staff from the Himalayan Holidays Nepal (HHN) and Imagine Nepal Treks expeditions. Search and rescue teams recovered two bodies from the debris, while the remaining 12 missing individuals were associated with the two trekking companies. All those unaccounted for were Nepalese nationals.

A helicopter was deployed for a rescue operation to the incident site, but the exact number of fatalities and missing persons varied as officials provided different figures. The expedition members reported that the group had scattered after the avalanche, making it difficult to account for everyone. The weather warning issued the previous week had prompted the evacuation of some teams, although others remained at the base camp.

Nepal's Department of Tourism has warned against continuing trekking and climbing activities due to deteriorating weather conditions, including heavy rain and snowfall. The situation was further exacerbated by several days of rain leading to floods and landslides across the country. The NDRRMA, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, reported that several rain-related incidents had caused deaths in recent days, alongside fatalities in landslides in Myagdi and Baglung districts.