7 Rescued from Avalanche Hit Area of Nepal’s Mount Manaslu, Several Still Missing

Kathmandu: A day after a deadly avalanche hit Nepal’s Mount Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world, a total of seven people were rescued on Tuesday morning. Among the rescued, four of them have been airlifted to Kathmandu as the weather permitted earlier this morning, informed Nepal Police.Also Read – 2 Climbers Dead, 12 Injured in an Avalanche in Nepal’s Mount Manaslu

The 8,163-metre-high mountain was hit by an avalanche on Monday sweeping through camp 3 and camp 4. The avalanche at a lower elevation on Mount Manaslu swept several climbers, killing a Nepali guide and injuring others. Also Read – Three Russian Climbers Go Missing From Nepal’s Annapurna Peak

The Department of Tourism confirmed that the avalanche hit at 11:30 am on Monday. Indian climber Baljeet Kaur was among the injured, The Himalayan Times newspaper reported. Also Read – Nepali Mountaineers Record History, Scale World’s Second 2nd Tallest Peak K2 in Winter

According to Gorkha Police, the deceased has been identified as Anup Rai, a climbing assistant. Out of the injured mountaineers, five were critically injured, The Himalayan Times newspaper reported.

Sources told local media that Sherpa climbers from Seven Summit Treks, Satori Adventure, Imagine Nepal Treks, Elite Expedition, and 8K Expeditions, among others, were injured. Pemba Sherpa from 8K Expedition told the newspaper earlier that Indian climber Kaur and her Sherpa guide both suffered minor injuries and were safe, the report said earlier.

Among those missing, there is also Hilaree Nelson, 49, a famed U.S. ski climber who was  was skiing down from the 8,163-meter (26,775-foot) summit with her partner Jim Morrison when she fell off the mountain, according to Jiban Ghimire of the Kathmandu-based Shangri-La Nepal Trek that organized and outfitted the expedition.

The Tourism Department is yet to establish contact with the officials at the incident site, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported, quoting the Director of the department.

One of those injured, Phurte Sherpa, said there were about 13-14 people who were swept by the avalanche. “One of our friends died in the avalanche and there has been efforts to retrieve the body but the rescue helicopter has not been able to do so yet,” Sherpa said. “Others injured ones have broken hands and feet.”

Sherpa and his brother were flown by a rescue helicopter to HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu on Tuesday. He said they were on their way to Camp Four to drop oxygen cylinders when the avalanche pushed them down to Camp Three.

Rescue operations are underway and various helicopter services are conducting aerial searches. Persistently bad weather throughout the day had hampered land and air rescue efforts.

Mt. Manaslu, the world’s eighth highest mountain and considered the fifth most dangerous peak, has claimed 53 lives of mountaineers from 297 attempts, according to the Australian website 9News.com.