2 killed and 5 foreign climbers missing after avalanche in Nepal

Snowstorms prevented rescuers from reaching the site the same day, but the weather cleared, and a helicopter was able to land in the area, authorities said.

Two people are dead and five more are missing after being crushed by an avalanche in the Himalayas, Nepalese authorities in the Dolkha district said in a press release.

The avalanche pummelled the base camp at Mount Yalung Ri, located at 4,900 metres above sea level, on Monday morning, according to The Associated Press. Rescuers said they do not expect to find survivors among the missing.

The bodies of two Nepalese guides have been recovered, and the remaining five are still being searched for. A Canadian, a German, a French national and two Italians are believed to be among them, according to a list posted by Nepalese authorities and viewed by Global News. Canadian officials have not yet confirmed that a Canadian citizen was part of the climb.

“The missing people may be buried under 10-15 feet,” Mingma Sherpa, head of Seven Summit Treks, who reached the scene on Tuesday morning, told BBC Nepali. “It will take time to search.”

“Given the nature of the incident, it was not expected that anyone would survive,” Phurba Tenzing Sherpa, a mountaineer and operator of Dreamers Expeditions, said after reaching the site Tuesday morning. “But we only saw two bodies on the surface.”

The Dolkha district administration office stated that eight other climbers who were injured in the avalanche were airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment.

According to the Kathmandu Post, the group of 15 were planning to climb Dolma Khang peak, which has an elevation of 6,332 metres. Before that, as part of their acclimatization schedule, they were set to climb the 5,630-metre Yalung Ri and spend the night in Na village before beginning the trek.

“The avalanche buried everyone on the slope,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Gyan Kumar Mahato told the Nepalese outlet.