14 Nepalis missing on Himlung after avalanche as bad weather hampers rescue

At least 14 Nepalis are missing on Himlung Himal in Manang’s Nar Phu region after an avalanche, while bad weather has prevented helicopters from reaching the 7,126-metre peak, according to trekking officials.

Bibhuti Chand Thakur, founder of Himalayan Holidays Trekking, has been coordinating the rescue effort with government agencies and private operators since Sunday morning after members of a team preparing for the expedition went missing.

Thakur, who has been organising trekking and mountaineering expeditions in the Himalaya for more than three decades, said the team initially reported that eight of 22 members could not be contacted. That number later rose to 14.

“I have been on the phone continuously,” Thakur told Kantipur.

The missing people are all Nepali members of the expedition, including Sherpas and support staff. No foreign climbers had yet reached the mountain. The Nepali team had been sent ahead of the foreign clients to prepare the camp, clear and manage the route and fix ropes. The foreign clients were expected to arrive in five to six days, Thakur said.

At about 9:40am on Sunday, a Sherpa working on Himlung called Himalayan Holidays’ senior manager, Debashish Malla, asking for a helicopter to be sent for a rescue. “The weather was fine, and they called asking us to send a rescue helicopter because eight people could not be seen,” Thakur said.

Another call came later, but contact was lost again, he said.

Private helicopters are on standby in Kathmandu and Pokhara. Thakur said attempts were made to keep two helicopters ready, but only one had been secured so far. Discussions were also underway on deploying a Nepali Army helicopter, he said.

Thakur said he had also spoken with Ram Krishna Lamichhane, director general of the Department of Tourism, who confirmed that the government was trying to send a helicopter but had been unable to do so because of the weather.

He said other Sherpas and people hoping to join the rescue effort had also been unable to reach the area by land, making an immediate ground rescue impossible.

The department has also tried to arrange a helicopter from Pokhara and is coordinating with the relevant agencies, Lamichhane said. The Department of Tourism issues permits for expeditions on Himlung.

Lamichhane said initial information indicated that the missing people included kitchen staff, Sherpa guides and other support workers.

Two Nepali members of Imagine Nepal are also among those missing, according to Dawa Futi Sherpa, the company’s general manager.

Sherpa said a helicopter and a group of experienced mountain guides were on standby at Kathmandu airport, but weather conditions had so far prevented them from taking off. “They are all on standby, but the weather at the airport is not allowing them to fly,” she said.

Mingma Gyalzen of Imagine Nepal and seven other mountain guides were also waiting at the airport to join the rescue, she said. The missing members were in contact with the company until about 9am, after which they could no longer be reached.

This is Himalayan Holidays’ second Himlung expedition this season, Thakur said. The company sent the Nepali crew ahead to prepare for the arrival of foreign clients, who were due in the coming days. “There were no foreign guests with them. They were Nepali Sherpas. The foreign guests were arriving in five or six days,” Thakur said.

From his office in Kathmandu, Thakur has continued to coordinate the rescue by phone, with the effort now hinging on a break in the weather that would allow a helicopter to reach Himlung.

Suraj Kunwar is a reporter with over two decades experience covering Aviation, Tourism and Mountaineering. He received the IFJ Tolerance Award in 2005.