Himlung Himal avalanche leaves ten Nepali expedition staff missing

An avalanche struck a staging area near Himlung Himal in Nepal’s Manang district, leaving ten Nepali expedition staff members missing and highlighting mounting perils for the Himalayan nation's climbing tourism industry. The disaster unfolded as persistent rain and heavy snowfall battered mountain districts across the region, triggering widespread transport disruptions, floods, and landslides.

The avalanche struck in the morning at the base camp of the 7,126-metre (23,380-foot) peak in the Nar Phu area, according to reports compiled from Operativmm and The Himalayan Times. The victims—local guides and support staff sent ahead of foreign climbers to prepare routes and fix ropes—were sheltering in tents when the snow slide hit. Discrepancies regarding the precise initial headcounts emerged in early reports; while expedition operator sources and the Expedition Operators Association Nepal (EOAN) counted ten missing, local police officials cited by Rediff stated that a tent sheltering nine climbers and 13 support staff was buried, leaving roughly a dozen missing and human casualties feared.

Media additions

Bibhuti Chand Thakur of Himalaya Holidays Trekking told reporters that eight of the missing belonged to his company, while two others were from a separate firm, as detailed by BBC News. Rishi Bhandari, general secretary of the EOAN, confirmed the breakdown to Deccan Chronicle, specifying that two of the unaccounted-for individuals were associated with Imagine Nepal Pvt Ltd. An official from Himalayan Holidays Nepal (HHN) explained that surviving expedition members had managed to make frantic phone calls after getting scattered by the impact, reporting a complete loss of contact with their colleagues.

Rescue operations faced immediate obstruction. Helicopters and specialized teams dispatched to the Nar Phu area remained grounded due to severe meteorological conditions, according to ECR. Ram Krishna Lamichhane, director general of the Department of Tourism, told Ratopati and other outlets that authorities were closely monitoring the situation as information trickled in from the remote border zone.

The disaster unfolds against a broader backdrop of extreme autumn weather across South Asia. Continuous downpours have triggered destructive floods and landslides in multiple districts, echoing earlier regional catastrophes. In Chitwan and Rupandehi, rising river levels swept away homes and forced mass evacuations, while transport links were severed by mudslides. The wider Himalayan region remains acutely sensitive to environmental pressures; National Herald noted that scientists have increasingly linked cascading mountain hazards to long-term warming and permafrost degradation, following catastrophic floods earlier in the year near the Nepal-Tibet border.

Mountaineering activity across the country has faced severe disruption. Expeditions on Mount Manaslu were abandoned earlier in the week due to escalating avalanche risks, and operators continue to reckon with volatile conditions. The incident also follows recent high-fatality mountaineering accidents on Broad Peak in Pakistan and adjacent peaks in Nepal, compounding grief within the tight-knit international climbing community.

What to Watch Next

• Deployment of aerial and ground search teams as soon as meteorological conditions permit helicopter access to the Himlung Himal base camp.
• Official updates from the Department of Tourism and the Expedition Operators Association Nepal regarding the identities and status of the ten missing staff.
• Further weather advisories from meteorological authorities concerning ongoing rain, snow, and elevated flood risks across Nepal's mountain districts.

For broader international reporting and background context on regional developments, readers can consult World coverage.