KATHMANDU (Nov 6): Seven Italian climbers remain missing in Nepal’s Himalayan mountains after a series of powerful avalanches and snowstorms killed at least nine people this week, officials said on Wednesday.
According to Nepal’s Department of Tourism, three Italian climbers were among those confirmed dead after an avalanche struck a base camp near Mount Yalung Ri on Monday. The other victims included two Nepali guides, a German, and a French climber.
Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that while the deaths of three Italians had been confirmed by local authorities, there was “no news of seven other Italian nationals” who were reported missing amid ongoing rescue operations.
“In recent days, several areas of the Nepalese Himalayas have been affected by a series of avalanches that have struck numerous mountaineers, including Italian citizens,” the ministry said, adding that communication between rescuers, local officials, and embassies remained extremely difficult due to severe weather.
Nepal’s Himalayan Times reported that the bodies of an Italian and a French climber were recovered from the avalanche site, where a group of 12 mountaineers — including five foreigners and seven Nepalis — had set up camp. Five survivors were rescued, including three Nepalis and two French nationals.
French survivor Isabelle Solange Thaon, 54, who lost her husband Christian Manfred in the avalanche, told the Associated Press from a Kathmandu hospital that she survived by “jumping over rocks and swimming in the snow” until help arrived. “We were lucky,” she said, adding that her husband was killed when falling rocks struck his head.
The avalanche occurred near Mount Yalung Ri (5,600 metres) in Nepal’s Rolwaling Valley, a peak popular among novice climbers.
Separately, two Italian climbers went missing in western Nepal last Friday while attempting to scale the 6,887-metre Panbari mountain. Their deaths were later confirmed by local authorities.
Nepal has been reeling from unseasonal heavy snowfall and rains caused by Cyclone Montha, which disrupted communication, stranded trekkers, and triggered multiple avalanches across the Himalayas.
Officials have issued fresh alerts to climbers and trekkers, warning of unstable snow conditions in several mountainous regions. The country, home to eight of the world’s 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest, draws thousands of adventurers every year — but the recent weather disruptions have made conditions treacherous even on moderate routes.