Full Breakdown
Avalanche Strikes Himlung Himal Base Camp Amid Ongoing Flood Crisis
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The Avalanche Event
On September 28, 2026, a sudden avalanche swept the base camp of Himlung Himal, a 7,126-metre peak in Nepal’s Manang district. The camp was being prepared for foreign clients when a sheet of snow and rock buried tents and equipment. Rescue teams recovered the bodies of two climbers on the night of the avalanche and two more on the following morning. Helicopters air-lifted the remains to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu.
Background & Context
The disaster occurred less than a month after a catastrophic glacial collapse on the Nepal-China border triggered floods that killed more than 1,400 people and left thousands missing. Heavy rain and snowfall over the preceding weekend had already caused flooding and landslides across the Manang, Mustang, Myagdi and Baglung districts, prompting the government to issue severe-weather warnings nationwide.
Data & Statistics
- Reported fatalities range from two (initial reports) to four (later counts).
- The number of people still missing is reported as 12, 14, or 10, depending on the source.
- In addition to the avalanche, Nepal’s disaster agency recorded 21 other deaths and five additional missing persons in separate weather-related incidents between Thursday and Sunday.
- The Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, bordering Nepal, recorded 66.5 mm of rain between September 25 and the morning of September 27, contributing to 56 deaths there, underscoring the regional scale of the extreme weather.
Official Statements & Responses
He added that the search continued for the remaining expedition workers.
Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, leading the rescue effort, said, “Search operations are continuing. We could have saved lives on Sunday, but because of the bad weather, we only reached the accident site in the afternoon.”
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) reiterated that the avalanche came amid government-issued severe-weather warnings and noted that power supplies in Manang, Mustang, Myagdi and Baglung districts had been disrupted.
On-the-Ground Reports
Eight experienced mountain guides from the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association arrived at the site after weather improved, digging through several metres of snow to reach buried tents. Helicopters transported ten rescued workers and the recovered bodies to Kathmandu. Local police indicated that at least 22 people were present at the camp when the avalanche struck, though exact numbers remain uncertain because of the remote location and limited communications.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on both the death toll and the count of missing persons. Bloomberg and Reuters initially reported two deaths, while later AP-linked reports and the Independent cited four fatalities. Missing-person figures vary: the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association listed 14 kitchen staff and two guides as missing (the guides later confirmed dead), whereas Reuters and the Associated Press mentioned 12 missing, and PTI cited eight missing. No source provides a definitive roster of all individuals present at the camp, leaving the total number of victims unresolved.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Two bodies were found as rescuers worked until 6pm (12:30 GMT) last night,” — Tul Singh Gurung, president of the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association
- “Search operations are continuing. We could have saved lives on Sunday, but because of the bad weather, we only reached the accident site in the afternoon,” — Mingma Gyalje Sherpa