At least 10 people have gone missing after an avalanche struck the base camp of Himlung Himal in western Nepal, bordering Tibet, expedition organisers confirmed on Sunday.
The incident comes as a weather system over the Bay of Bengal brings heavy snowfall to the mountains and persistent rainfall to Nepal’s hills and plains. Rain and snowfall have affected several parts of the country. Nepal has been witnessing adverse weather conditions since Friday, disrupting roads and prompting local authorities to close several sections to traffic. Tourism authorities have urged trekkers and climbers to suspend activities as weather conditions deteriorate. The Department of Tourism has also issued an alert advising that tourism activities be put on hold. The disaster washed away settlements along the Trishuli River and dealt another blow to Nepal’s tourism industry. Persistent rainfall and snowfall have since disrupted several trekking routes and forced the cancellation or suspension of major expeditions on Manaslu and Dhaulagiri.
The weather disruption follows last month’s devastating floods in Rasuwa, which killed more than 1,400 people and left more than 5,000 missing.
Expedition teams and rope-fixing teams had evacuated the mountain slopes following a weather warning issued last week, while some people reluctantly stayed back, according to Sherpa.
