Nepal Rescuers Find Bodies of 5 Climbers Killed Last Year

Rescuers in Nepal have located the bodies of five mountaineers, three of whom were foreign nationals, who perished in an avalanche last year. The group had been missing since November near the border with China.

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Five bodies, three foreigners and two Nepalis, who had been missing since last November, have been discovered.

Biswash Karki, chairman of the Gaurishankar Rural Municipality, confirmed the discovery of the bodies, identifying the foreigners as an Italian-Canadian, a German, and an Italian. The avalanche struck the climbers on the lower flanks of Yalung Ri, a 5,630-meter peak situated close to Nepal's border with Tibet.

Local authorities and rescuers found the bodies on Thursday. Karki stated that efforts to recover them are underway, but have been hampered by weather conditions. A rescue helicopter dispatched on Friday could not reach the site due to inclement weather.

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Ever since they went missing, we had been deploying the army, police and local rescue teams to search for them, but thick snow had covered their bodies.

Nepal, renowned for hosting eight of the world's ten highest mountains, including Mount Everest, attracts hundreds of climbers annually. Despite the risks, mountaineering remains a significant draw. However, avalanches are a frequent hazard, accounting for nearly a third of the over 1,000 climbing deaths recorded in the region since 1950.

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Due to bad weather, our team has not been able to reach the spot. Our rescue team will airlift the bodies once the weather clears.