Avalanche accident in the Himalayas: Two dead and 14 missing in Nepal

At least two people have died and 14 others are missing in Nepal after an avalanche in the Himalayas. The two dead bodies recovered were mountain guides, the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association (NNMGA) said at the request of the German Press Agency.

The avalanche hit the Himlung Himal base camp, located at 7,126 meters near the border with Tibet, on Sunday morning, a police spokesman said at dpa's request. Accordingly, there were at least 22 people in the base camp at the time of the accident. A four-person search and rescue team is on site to look for the missing people.

Hope for survivors

According to the Association of Nepalese Expedition Operators, the missing people are employees of two expedition companies. It is feared that many of the missing people are under the masses of snow, said Bibhuti Chand Thakur, who heads one of the affected organizers, to the dpa. Because of the fresh snow, there is still hope of finding survivors.

Heavy rain and snowfall had affected roads and trekking routes in Nepal in the past few days. The authorities therefore temporarily suspended trekking and climbing activities on several mountains. The unfavorable weather conditions affect the current autumn climbing season. According to the tourism authority, 579 climbers from 67 countries have received permits for climbs in the season.