Three missing after Himlung avalanche make contact with families
Rescue team reaches base camp as expedition organisers say eight Nepali workers and two staff were initially unaccounted for
PC: Abiral Rai
At least three people reported missing after a massive avalanche struck the Himlung Himal base camp in western Nepal have made contact with their families and expedition organisers, according to the expedition company.
Kaji Sherpa, Chheten Bhote and Chhebi Bhote contacted their families and Himalayan Holidays, which was organising their expedition.
“Three people have been found so far. They contacted the company and their families,” said Bibhuti Chand Thakuri, owner of the Himalayan Holidays.
Ten people were initially reported missing. Eight were members of the Himalayan Holidays expedition and two were staff from Imagine Nepal.
Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, widely known as Mingma G, has arrived at the base camp with a rescue team of eight IFMGA-certified mountain guides.
“Mingma G has just landed and is asking for manpower to search for the missing people,” Thakuri told the Everest Chronicle.
Mingma G has led several high-altitude rescue operations, including the response to the Broad Peak avalanche in Pakistan in July, in which the renowned climber Nirmal Purja ‘Nimsdai’, and his close friend Kili Pemba Sherpa ‘Kilu’, were among 10 climbers killed
Members of the Nepal National Mountain Guides Association, which represents IFMGA-certified mountain guides, began mobilising for the rescue after hearing of the avalanche. A second team was waiting for a flight to Himlung.
“Mingma G said they could see the roofs of the tents, which means they are not completely buried,” Thakuri said.
Abiral Rai, an NNMGA official, said the base camp was relatively flat and open, giving people a chance to escape.
“They should have had enough time and space to run for their safety. And given that some members are contacting their families, the others must also have managed to get to safety,” Rai said.
Communication remains difficult because of poor mobile network coverage at the base camp. This has slowed efforts to establish contact with those still unaccounted for.
