Nepal: 9 climbers killed,12 missing as avalanche hits peak

Kathmandu, Sep 23: At least nine persons were killed and nearly a dozen went missing today when an

hit the

on a Himalayan peak in Gorkha district, around 250 km north-west from here.

The avalanche hit the Camp III at Mt Manaslu situated in 7,300 metre altitude when the climbers were heading towards the peak. There were at least 50 people from different expeditions in the mountain when the incident occurred.

Nine dead bodies have been recovered which include one Sherpa guide and six foreigners, according to chairman of Himalayan Rescue Association Santa Subba.

However, only two persons - German citizen Chris and a Nepali Sherpa guide - have so far been identified, said Mohan Sapkota of Mountaineering Section at Tourism Ministry.

More than a dozen foreign tourists who were heading towards the peak have gone missing from the site, officials said. Some 15-20 foreign tourists have been rescued from the area, they said.

Three helicopters have been dispatched and the Army, police and local rescue workers have been mobilised to carry out rescue operations in the avalanche hit area, officials said.

Everything was normal and the weather was also clear as the climbers were heading towards the peak for making the summit next day, when the avalanche suddenly hit them, they said.

PTI