Nepalese officials have suspended the search for climbers buried by an avalanche due to severe weather. Rescue teams believe there is little chance of finding survivors.
On Tuesday, 29 Sep 2026 GMT+7, Tul Singh Gurung, President of Nepal's National Mountain Guides Association (NMGA), revealed that worsening weather forced authorities to halt the search for climbers swallowed by an avalanche on the Himalayas last Sunday.
The avalanche occurred at the base camp of Himlung Himal, a 7,126-meter peak in Nepal, early Sunday morning. So far, four bodies have been found, while 12 others remain missing.
The 12 missing individuals were all Nepali guides and support staff sent ahead to prepare the camp, inspect routes, and fix ropes for foreign climbers planning to summit Himlung Himal, a popular challenge for those attempting peaks over 7,000 meters.
However, the Nepalese rescue team leader said he has very little hope of finding survivors, stating, “Given the condition of the recovered bodies, it is impossible for the others to have survived,” and added, “The avalanche covered a huge area; we may return to search again once the snow begins to melt.”
The rescue team, composed of eight local climbing guides, arrived at base camp Sunday evening to begin digging through over 4 meters of snow, as tents were buried beneath the dense snowpack. They recovered two guides' bodies on Sunday and two cooks' bodies on Monday.
Nepal's deadliest recent climbing disasters include a 2014 avalanche on Mount Everest that killed 16 and a 2015 earthquake that claimed 18 lives on Everest as well.
Additionally, Nepal is still searching for victims from a massive flood caused by a glacier collapse on 26 Aug 2026 GMT+7, which has resulted in over 1,400 deaths and more than 6,000 missing.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority, heavy rains since Thursday have caused floods and landslides in other parts of Nepal, resulting in at least 21 deaths.
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Source:cna