Avalanche at Himlung base camp leaves 10 missing in Nepal

A base camp at Himlung Himal shuddered under a sudden snow and rain burst, leaving ten missing after an avalanche swept tents and rope lines^11,34. Rescue teams faced brutal weather as helicopters waited on standby, unable to fly because of whiteouts and gusts, with expeditions split between Himalayan Holidays Nepal and Imagine Nepal Treks^7,10.

Mingma G and other guides soon arrived to coordinate the SAR push, as the region's heavy snowfall lingered and weather warnings persisted across Manang^7,13. The incident unfolded after several days of snowfall that had already disrupted autumn climbs and forced teams to pull back to lower camps, a sign of how Nepal's high country is now prone to sudden shifts in weather^8,31.

Officials from the Expedition Operators Association Nepal and Nepal's Department of Tourism activated search lines and monitored updates while stressing that all those missing are Nepali, with no foreign climbers reported at first^21,22,33. As the day wore on, the question turned from what happened to what comes next, including how to reach the remote Nar Phu area and how to ensure the safety of the teams that remain, with more helicopters and manpower likely to join once skies clear^13,16.

The broader picture shows a country grappling with flood risk and volatile mountain weather that has already impacted other regions, reminding readers that Nepal’s high routes demand constant vigilance and planning for life in the hills^9,32. Authorities say they will provide updates as teams narrow the list of the missing and confirm identities, with a clearer map of the camp’s tents and rope lines expected in the next briefing^21,28.