2 killed and 5 foreign passengers missing after avalanche in Nepal – nationally
Two people are dead and five others are missing after being crushed by an avalanche in the Himalayas, Nepalese authorities in Dolkha District.
An avalanche descended on the base camp at Mount Yalung RI, located at 4,900 meters above sea level, on Monday morning, according to the accompanying media. Rescuers say they do not expect to find survivors among the missing.
In this May 18, 2013 File Photo released by mountain guide Adrian Ballinger of Alpenglow Expeditions, hikers to the summit of Mount Everest, in the Khumbu region of the Nepal Himalayas.
AP Photo / Alpenglow Expeditions, Adrian Ballinger, File
The bodies of two Nepalese guides have been recovered, and the remaining five are still being sought. A Canadian, a German, an Italian, a French, an Italian, and an Italian are legal, according to a list sent by the Nepalese authorities and watched by the world’s media. Canadian authorities have not confirmed that a Canadian citizen was part of the climb.
“The missing people can be buried under 10-16 feet,” Mingma Sherpa, the head of the seven councils, who arrived at the scene on Tuesday morning, told BBC Nepali. “It will take time to search.”
Get news from around the country
Get the top stories of the Day, politics, economics, and current affairs, delivered to your inbox once a day.
“Given the nature of the incident, it was not expected that anyone would survive,” Phrba Tenzing Sherpa, who is in charge of mountain climbing and outings, said after reaching the site on Tuesday morning. “But we only saw two bodies on the surface.”
The Dolkha District Administration Office said another eight passengers injured in the avalanche were flown to Kathmandu for treatment.
According to the Kathmandu Post, the group of 15 was planning to climb Dolma Khang Peak, which has a height of 6,332 meters. Before that, as part of their Acclimatization program, they were planned to climb the 5,630-meter Yalung ri and spend the night in a nani village before starting the journey.
“The avalanche buried everyone on the slope,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Gyan Kumar Mahato told a Nepalese outlet.
The regional police chief said all the passengers were part of a group that left more than an hour before the avalanche occurred.
Storms prevented rescuers from reaching the site that day, but the weather cleared on Tuesday, and a helicopter arrived with rescuers, authorities said.
“We received the information late, and the severe weather delayed the immediate response,” Mahato added.
A total of 48 teams, including Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Nepal Armed Police, were sent for rescue, the press release confirmed.
Isabelle Solange Thaon, 54, told the media that accompanied her, she lost her husband, Christian Manfred, in the Avalanche but was lucky to survive with another French Colber, adier abrand.
“We were lucky because it was on the left,” said Thaon in the hospital from his hospital bed, adding that they jumped over rocks and swam through the ice until they were saved.
“Unfortunately, unfortunately he died, because the rocks hit his head,” he said.
One of the injured passengers, who spoke to the Kathmandu Post from Na Village, said they called for help but did not get a response for hours.
“We screamed and cried for help, but no one could reach us,” she said. “We were told that the helicopter would arrive in four hours, but at that time several of our friends were gone.”
He said the delay led to unnecessary loss of life.
“If the time had come, many lives could have been saved. Our four close friends.”
Global News has reached out to Global News Canada for confirmation that Canalan is missing in the Avalanche, as well as other details about the incident.
& Copy 2025 Global News, Division of Corse Entertainment Inc.
