Avalanche at Nepal’s Himlung mountain leaves 2 workers dead, 14 missing

Rescue teams are currently on a mission to find 12 individuals who were struck by an avalanche on Mount Himlung, a 23,380-foot peak in Nepal, during severe weather conditions. At least two lives were claimed by the avalanche on Sunday, while 10 others were successfully rescued from the mountain during the week. All those affected by the disaster are Nepali citizens.

The avalanche occurred as people at a base camp were preparing for foreign climbers to ascend the mountain during the autumn climbing season, which commenced this month. To aid in the rescue efforts, helicopters were deployed, successfully airlifting the 10 rescued individuals to Kathmandu airport, where they were subsequently transported to the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.

In addition to the avalanche, flooding and landslides were reported in the Manang district, where Mount Himlung is situated, over the weekend. These incidents were triggered by heavy rainfall, as reported by the district administration office. The avalanche took place amid the government issuing weather warnings across the entire Himalayan nation.

According to Nepal's disaster management agency, a total of 21 people have lost their lives due to severe weather events across the country between Thursday and Sunday. Five others remain missing in different regions. Earlier this year, Nepal was grappling with devastating floods in August that swept away several villages, resulting in over 1,400 fatalities and nearly 6,000 people still unaccounted for.

In early September, two individuals were rescued 10 days after the floods hit the country, one being pulled from a 738-foot hydropower tunnel and another found alive in a house located in the town of Nuwakot.