Climbing
[UPDATE: Please see updated article on the evolving situation in Nepal. Currently only three are confirmed dead, while four are missing.]
3 Confirmed Dead & 4 Missing After Avlanche at Yalung Ri, Nepal
Seven climbers—five foreigners and two Nepali guides—were killed after an avalanche swept through a camp on Mount Yalung Ri in Nepal’s Dolakha district on Monday morning, November 3. Four others remain missing, all believed to be Nepali high-altitude workers, while four have been confirmed as injured.
According to the Nepali police, the avalanche struck around 8:30 a.m. as a team of 15 climbers—five foreign mountaineers and ten Nepali guides—was ascending Yalung Ri, a 5,630-meter (18,471-foot) peak in the Rolwaling mountain range near the Gaurishankar Conservation Area. The group was on an acclimatization climb ahead of a planned ascent of Dolma Kang which reaches an altitude of 6,334 meters (20,781 feet).
According to the Kathmandu Post, Deputy Superintendent of Police Gyan Kumar Mahato said the team was hit as they made their way toward base camp. “The avalanche buried everyone on the slope,” Mahato said. “We got the information late, and difficult weather delayed immediate response.”
Rescue efforts were severely hampered by heavy snowfall and low visibility. Helicopters deployed by Nepal’s Army and Armed Police Force were initially unable to reach the site due to poor conditions. “A helicopter finally reached Na village on Monday evening, and rescue teams have been mobilized on foot,” Mahato added. Operations were set to resume Tuesday morning, November 4.
There have been mixed reports around the nationality of the five deceased foreigners, with some news outlets describing three of the victims as U.S. citizens while others reported them as Canadian or French. All five foreign climbers appear to be deceased and we await an official police report to establish the exact nationalities. Two Nepali guides are confirmed dead while four Nepali guides sustained unspecified injuries, but some appear to be seriously injured. One survivor described a desperate wait for help. “We shouted and cried for help, but no one could reach us,” he told The Kathmandu Post. “We were told that a helicopter would come after four hours, but by then several of our friends were gone.” Local sources state that the response was slowed further by the restricted airspace in the Rolwaling region, which requires special clearance for rescue flights.
The expedition had set out from Na village on Sunday, November 2, after a brief improvement in weather conditions, following several days of continuous snow. Police confirm that the unstable snowpack contributed to the avalanche. The weather in the region had been deteriorating since last week in Nepal, with snowstorms reported in the Himalayas on both the Nepali and Chinese sides of the Everest region.
Yalung Ri, located about 100 kilometers northeast of Kathmandu, is often considered a “beginner’s” Himalayan peak, popular among climbers gaining altitude experience. The mountain lies within the greater Gaurishankar range, an area known for its rugged beauty but also frequent avalanches during the autumn climbing season.
Rescue teams continue to search for the four missing Nepali climbers. Authorities warn that recovery efforts may take days, depending on weather and terrain conditions.
