Violent Blizzard And Avalanche In Nepal Kill At Least 20 Trekkers With 143 Still Missing
A snowstorm in the Himalayan region of central Nepal has killed at least 20 people, while more than 100 remain unaccounted for, officials have said.
By Sadho Ram — 16 Oct 2014, 01:03 PM — Updated over 9 years ago
A blizzard and avalanche in Nepal's Himalayas climbing region have killed at least 20 people, with more than 100 still missing, the New York Times reported
A blizzard and avalanche in Nepal’s Himalayas climbing region have killed at least 20 people, nearly half of them foreigners, in the midst of the October trekking season, district officials said Wednesday.
nytimes.com
Rescuers said the death toll could rise as dozens of other foreigners and locals who had been trekking were out of contact due to poor communication links and could have been caught in blizzards.
theguardian.com
An avalanche buried one Indian and four Canadian trekkers in Phu on Wednesday, said the chief administrator of Manang district. The snow buried the trekkers’ bodies and digging them out would take days, he said.
theguardian.com
It was initially thought the group had been caught in an avalanche, but Baburam Bhandari, governor of Mustang, said the group perished in a blizzard
An injured survivor of the snowstorm is lifted onto the Nepalese Army helicopter on the Annapurna Circuit hiking trail.
Image via smh.com.auIn neighbouring Mustang district, four trekkers caught in a blizzard died on Tuesday. Rescuers recovered the bodies of the two Poles, one Israeli and one Nepali from the Thorong La pass area. The pass is on a route that circles Mount Annapurna, the world’s 10th highest peak.
theguardian.com
He added that emergency workers had rescued five German, five Polish and four Israeli trekkers who were trapped in the snowfall early on Wednesday. One German tourist fractured his leg, he said. They were taken to Jomson town by helicopter. Police said eight Nepalis had also been killed in Mustang, which is about 150 km (93 miles) northwest of the capital, Kathmandu.
theguardian.com
The death toll eclipsed the last major mountaineering disaster in Nepal's Himalayas, when 16 Sherpa guides died in an avalanche some six months ago on Mount Everest, the worst climbing calamity in Everest's history
It is believed as many as 200 trekkers were caught in the blizzard starting Tuesday. According to experts, the intense weather was the aftermath of Cyclone Hudhud in eastern India.
An injured survivor of the snowstorm is assisted by army personnel into a Nepalese Army helicopter in Manang District on the Annapurna Circuit hiking trail.
Image via smh.com.auIt was believed that as many as 200 trekkers were caught by the latest weather, a freakish storm that began bearing down on the Annapurna region of the Himalayas on Tuesday, part of the aftermath of a cyclone that ravaged India’s eastern coast two days earlier.
nytimes.com
Fearing the worst, friends and relatives of missing climbers reached out to each other through social media, and a Facebook page titled Annapurna Nepal Avalanche and Blizzard Info Share became a virtual bulletin board
“Our hearts and minds are on Annapurna, Nepal,” read the caption on a photo of snow-capped Annapurna, the world’s 10th highest peak.
nytimes.com
According to NYT, while 22 people were rescued on Wednesday, heavy accumulations of snow — more than two feet in some areas — forced the Nepali Army and the police to suspend further rescue actions until Thursday
A Nepalese Army helicopter takes off as survivors of a snowstorm in Manang District on the Annapurna Circuit hiking trail look on
Image via smh.com.auThe army, guided by rescued trekkers, recovered 12 bodies near Thorong La, a pass along a popular trekking circuit, according to the Mustang chief district officer, Baburam Bhandari. The dead included two Israeli tourists and two Poles, as well as eight Nepali trekkers who were trapped in a blizzard.
nytimes.com
Basant B. Hamal, the secretary general of the Himalayan Rescue Association Nepal, a nonprofit group that promotes safe mountaineering, said there might have been up to 200 trekkers making their way Tuesday afternoon from the peak of Thorong La, which is at nearly 18,000 feet, to the Muktinath temple, at about 12,000 feet, when the storm hit.
October is one of the most popular trekking months in Nepal, when thousands often visit because the weather is usually ideal for hiking
Thousands of tourists hike the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal in October each year. This photo show a man looking at Dhaulagiri I mountain (8167m) near Jomsom
Image via smh.com.auMountaineering tourism is one of the most important economic drivers for Nepal. Travel and tourism supported more than half a million jobs in the country last year and generated $420 million in revenue, according to a report released in March by the London-based World Travel and Tourism Council.
nytimes.com
It said Nepal received nearly 800,000 tourists last year and had been expected to attract more than 860,000 this year. The Nepali government receives $3 million to $4 million annually just in trekking licenses.
But the April disaster on Everest, the world’s highest mountain, was disastrous for tourism, as it led to threats by Sherpas to stop working. Many expeditions were canceled and tourists forfeited tens of thousands of dollars, with many expressing uncertainty about the viability of future treks.
nytimes.com