Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Nepal snowstorms kill at least 20 people in Himalayas

Nepal snowstorms kill at least 20 people in Himalayas
Eight foreign hikers among the dead as authorities warn dozens more holidaymakers and locals are missing
People gather near a Nepal army helicopter being used to rescue avalanche victims in the Annapurna region.
People gather near a Nepal army helicopter being used to rescue avalanche victims in the Annapurna region. Photograph: Reuters
The search for trekkers missing after blizzards swept through Nepal resumed on Thursday as the death toll from the extreme weather reached at least 20 people, including eight foreign hikers.
Rescuers said the death toll could rise as dozens of other foreigners and locals who had been trekking were out of contact due to poor communication links and could have been caught in blizzards.
An avalanche buried one Indian and four Canadian trekkers in Phu on Wednesday, said the chief administrator of Manang district. The snow buried the trekkers’ bodies and digging them out would take days, he said.
Three yak herders were killed in the same district, about 100 miles north-west of the capital, Kathmandu, and their bodies were recovered on Wednesday.
In neighbouring Mustang district, four trekkers caught in a blizzard died on Tuesday. Rescuers recovered the bodies of the two Poles, one Israeli and one Nepali from the Thorong La pass area. The pass is on a route that circles Mount Annapurna, the world’s 10th highest peak.
It was initially thought the group had been caught in an avalanche, but Baburam Bhandari, governor of Mustang, said the group perished in a blizzard.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/15/himalayan-snowstorm-nepal-mustang-district

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