Avalanche Hits Climbers in Nepal

At least seven climbers, including five foreigners and two Nepalis, have died after being hit by an avalanche on a Himalayan peak in north-eastern Nepal, expedition agency Seven Summit Treks said.

The incident happened at 09:00 local time (03:15 GMT) on Monday near the base camp of the Yalung Ri mountain in Dolakha district.

Rescuers located two bodies, and are still searching for the remaining five, who are believed to have been buried by snow. Eight others have been rescued and are in the capital Kathmandu getting treatment for their injuries.

All these climbers were part of a group that set out over an hour before the avalanche hit, the district police chief told BBC Nepali.

The bodies of the other five deceased climbers "may be 10-15 feet below the snow", said Mingma Sherpa, chairman of Seven Summit Treks. "It will take time to find them."

Those killed include two Italians, a Canadian, a German, a French national, and two Nepalis who served as guides.

The Kathmandu Post reported that the group were preparing to climb the nearby Dolma Khang peak, which has an elevation of 6,332m (20,774ft). They had planned to climb the 5,630m Yalung Ri as part of their acclimatisation schedule.

Separately, the bodies of two Italian climbers who went missing while attempting to scale another mountain in Nepal have been recovered, officials have confirmed.

Stefano Farronato and Alessandro Caputo were part of a three-man group that became stranded along with three local guides last week on the Panbari mountain in western Nepal. The third member of the group, named in media reports as Velter Perlino, 65, was able to be rescued, along with one sherpa.

The group had been granted permission to climb the 6,887m peak, but were reported missing when they lost contact with the base camp following heavy snowfall on 28 October.

- Authors: Diwakar Pyakurel & Phanindra Dahal, BBC Nepali in Kathmandu and
Kathryn Armstrong

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