Avalanche kills 15 Nepali workers preparing Himalayan mountain camp for climbers

KATHMANDU - An avalanche claimed the lives of at least 15 Nepali workers who were constructing a mountain camp in central Nepal for foreign climbers, according to a rescue official on Thursday. This marks the deadliest incident of the autumn climbing season, which concludes this month. The avalanche struck the base camp of the 7,126-meter Himlung Himal mountain in the northern Manang district over the weekend, where the Nepali workers were erecting tents and installing ropes.

One worker remains unaccounted for. Rescuers have thus far recovered 15 bodies from the site, with Tul Singh Gurung, president of the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association (NNMGA), confirming the figures to Reuters. Eight bodies were recovered from under the snow on Thursday, while the remaining seven were retrieved earlier in the week.

Gurung informed that the bodies retrieved today are anticipated to be airlifted to Kathmandu. He added that the prospects of locating the missing worker are bleak and the rescue operation is expected to conclude soon. The foreign climbers were not present at the site when the avalanche occurred. Each year, many visitors descend upon Nepal to explore or ascend its mountains, generating employment for several thousand individuals as guides, porters, and other personnel, alongside roles in tourism-related sectors.

However, as climate change accelerates the melting of glaciers and ice, the nature of this work is becoming increasingly hazardous.