Rescuers search for five climbers killed in Yalung Ri avalanche, while five missing Italian trekkers are found safe in separate Nepal incident
KATHMANDU: Nepali rescuers continued searching on Thursday for multiple climbers killed in an avalanche earlier this week.
Seven people died when an avalanche struck expedition teams at the base camp of 5,630-metre Yalung Ri peak near Nepal’s border with China on Monday.
“Mountain guides, skilled in search, have been deployed,” Seven Summit Treks’ Mingma Sherpa told AFP.
Rescue crews are digging through snow and scanning the landscape with electronic detectors.
Sherpa confirmed they were searching for five bodies including two Italians, two Nepalis and one German.
The bodies of an Italian and a French citizen had already been recovered from the avalanche site.
Survivors described how slabs of ice smashed into their group as they clung to the mountain, burying some under snow.
In a separate incident last week, two Italian climbers died while attempting to scale 6,887-metre Panbari mountain.
Italy’s foreign ministry had reported several missing citizens trekking in Nepal but confirmed contact with the group of five hikers on Thursday.
The ministry said the five were safe and well after having no contact for several days.
Nepal hosts eight of the world’s ten highest peaks, including Mount Everest, attracting hundreds of climbers annually.
Last month, Cyclone Montha triggered heavy rain and snowfall across Nepal, stranding trekkers on popular Himalayan routes.
According to the Himalayan Database expedition archive, at least 1,093 people have died on peaks since 1950.
Avalanches have killed almost one third of all climbing fatalities in Nepal. – AFP
