2 Killed, 12 missing in Nepal avalanche
An aerial view of mountaineers awaiting rescue following an avalanche in Deurali, Nepal. File photo: Reuters.
At least two people have been killed and 12 others remain missing following an avalanche on Mount Himlung in Nepal. Rescue operations are underway despite adverse weather conditions.
The avalanche struck the 7,126-meter-high Mount Himlung on Sunday. Since then, at least 10 people have been rescued.
On Monday, the bodies of the two deceased were flown by helicopter to Kathmandu Airport and subsequently taken to the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.
Tul Singh Gurung, President of the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association, said that rescuers would continue search operations until Monday evening. Twelve people are still missing, and an eight-member team of mountaineers is actively participating in the rescue mission.
All of the deceased and missing individuals are Nepali citizens. They were preparing the base camp at Himlung ahead of the arrival of foreign climbers, as the autumn climbing season began this month.
Heavy rains over the weekend also triggered floods and landslides in Manang district, where Himlung is located. The government has issued adverse weather alerts across the entire country.
According to Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, an additional 21 people died in various parts of the country between Thursday and Sunday, with five others reported missing.
Nepal is still reeling from the devastating floods in August, which swept away several villages and claimed more than 1,400 lives.
Disaster management authorities report that 5,500 people remain missing from that disaster, while 13,795 individuals have been rescued.
In a report released last week, World Weather Attribution (WWA) stated that the August disaster was not caused by a single extreme weather event. Instead, a "compound crisis" was created due to long-term warming, melting glaciers, thawing permafrost, and geological instability.
Source: Al Jazeera
