Nine Climbers Killed in Severe Snowstorm and Avalanche in Nepal

Darwin, 04 November-

At least nine climbers have died in Nepal’s remote Himalayan region following several days of intense snowstorms and avalanches, officials confirmed on Tuesday. Among the victims are five Italian mountaineers.

According to a report by French news agency AFP, the fatalities occurred in two separate incidents. On Monday, a group of 12 climbers was hit by an avalanche at the base camp of Yalung Ri, a 18,471-foot peak in central Nepal near the Chinese border.

Furba Tenzing Sherpa, a representative of the trekking agency Dreamers Destination, said seven people were killed in that avalanche. The victims include three Italians, two Nepalis, one German, and one French climber. “I saw all seven bodies myself,” Sherpa told AFP.

The remaining members of the expedition were rescued on Tuesday morning and airlifted to Kathmandu, said senior police officer Gyan Kumar Mahato from Dolakha district. Among those rescued are two French and two Nepali climbers.

In a separate incident, two Italian climbers died while attempting to summit the 22,595-foot-high Panbari peak in western Nepal. They had been missing since Friday. On Tuesday, Italy’s Foreign Ministry confirmed their deaths and identified them as Alessandro Caputo and Stefano Farronato.

The ministry said local authorities verified the deaths earlier that morning. The two climbers had been trapped by heavy snowfall at an altitude of around 5,000 meters.

Nepal is home to eight of the world’s ten highest mountains, including Mount Everest. Every year, hundreds of climbers and trekkers visit the country seeking to conquer its challenging peaks.

Autumn is considered the second most popular season for Himalayan expeditions, though conditions are often harsher than in spring — with shorter days, colder temperatures, and snow-covered trails that limit summit opportunities.

Last week, Cyclone Manda brought heavy rain and snow across Nepal, stranding many trekkers along popular Himalayan routes.

According to the Himalayan Database, at least 1,093 climbers have died in mountaineering accidents across Nepal since 1950 — one-third of them due to avalanches.

Source: AFP