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Avalanche Kills Nepal Guides as Rescue Delayed by Weather

By Drooid · Sep 28, 2026, 10:20 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Avalanche Hits Basecamp

An avalanche hit the Himlung Himal base camp, killing Nepalese guides and staff.
Four bodies were recovered from the avalanche site.
Local police said at least 22 people were at the camp when the avalanche occurred Sunday morning.
Heavy snowfall grounded helicopters and cut communications, delaying rescue teams.
The Department of Tourism advised trekkers and climbers to suspend activities.

Summary

Nepal Avalanche Search

World Weather Attribution researchers called the avalanche a “compound crisis” of warming, glacier retreat, permafrost thaw and geological instability.
Tul Singh Gurung, president of the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association, said an eight-guide team was searching the site.
Manang District chief administrator Mukti Prasad Khanal reported helicopters airlifting ten survivors and the two bodies to Kathmandu.

Summary

Minister Orders Power Restoration

Power supply was completely disrupted in Manang, Mustang, Myagdi and Baglung districts.
Water Resources and Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha said flooding damaged a 40-megawatt hydropower project.
The Rahuganga River overflow flooded the project's structure and transmission-line towers.
Authorities and energy ministry officials are coordinating efforts to restore electricity across the affected districts.
An avalanche struck near the Chinese border, unrelated to the river-flooding power outage.

History

Historical Context

In October 2014 a snowstorm and avalanches on Annapurna and Dhaulagiri killed at least 43 trekkers, prompting Nepal’s government, UNDP and the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations to deploy rescue helicopters. An ice-serac collapse on Everest’s Khumbu Icefall killed 16 Sherpas and sparked protests over compensation. The Himlung Himal slide, tied to glacier melt, mirrors those 2014 disasters and drives calls for climate-adaptation measures.

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Avalanche Hits Basecamp

An avalanche hit the Himlung Himal base camp, killing Nepalese guides and staff.
Four bodies were recovered from the avalanche site.
Local police said at least 22 people were at the camp when the avalanche occurred Sunday morning.
Heavy snowfall grounded helicopters and cut communications, delaying rescue teams.
The Department of Tourism advised trekkers and climbers to suspend activities.

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