Overview
- The avalanche swept the Himlung Himal base camp in Manang district on Sunday, Sept 27, burying tents where Nepali guides and support staff were preparing the site for the autumn climbing season.
- Rescuers have recovered 15 bodies so far and report one person still missing, with search operations repeatedly paused by heavy snowfall and hazardous mountain conditions.
- Those killed were Nepali high‑altitude workers and camp staff who were preparing routes and tents; foreign climbers had not reached the base camp when the avalanche struck.
- Teams had to dig through more than four metres of packed snow to reach buried tents, and rescue leaders say the scale of the avalanche makes survival unlikely and may lead officials to wind down the operation.
- The disaster comes during a season of extreme rain, floods and landslides that have already strained mortuary services, road and air access, and the livelihoods of thousands who depend on Nepal’s trekking and mountaineering economy.