At least 15 expedition workers have died after an avalanche struck a base camp on Himlung peak in central Nepal on Sunday, Sept. 26, according to mountaineering officials. Rescue teams concluded major search operations after recovering eight bodies on Thursday, bringing the total number of deceased recovered to 15.
The avalanche occurred early Sunday morning at the base camp of the 7,126-meter (23,345-foot) mountain, which is located near Nepal’s border with China. The victims were Nepali workers, including guides and kitchen staff, who were preparing the camp by setting up tents and fixing ropes for upcoming expeditions.
Tul Singh Gurung, president of the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association, confirmed the death toll to Reuters. “The bodies that were recovered today are expected to be brought by a helicopter to Kathmandu,” Gurung stated on Thursday.
According to reports from news agencies AFP and Reuters, a team of eleven rescuers, including experienced mountain guides, conducted the search at the site. They dug through more than four meters (14 feet) of snow that had buried the camp. The recovery took place over several days, with two bodies found on Sunday, two on Monday, and three on Tuesday, followed by the final eight on Thursday.
Officials said one worker remains missing. Gurung told Reuters that the chances of finding the individual were “slim” and that the rescue operation was likely to be concluded. No foreign climbers were present at the camp at the time of the avalanche.
Himlung peak is a common destination for international climbers preparing for ascents of 8,000-meter peaks. Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, has an economy that relies significantly on tourism from trekking and mountaineering.
The incident is one of the deadliest in the country’s recent mountaineering history. In 2014, an avalanche on Mount Everest killed 16 Nepali guides, and in 2015, an earthquake triggered avalanches that killed 18 people at Everest Base Camp.
The country has also been contending with other recent natural disasters. In a separate event on Aug. 26, a mountain glacial collapse triggered floods that officials said killed more than 1,400 people. According to Nepal’s national disaster agency, heavy rainfall has also caused additional floods and landslides, resulting in at least 21 deaths since late September.
