Blizzard and avalanche kills 39 trekkers in western Nepal
TBN News ——————————
Kathmandu – A high-altitude avalanche and severe snow killed at least 39 people including foreigners and wounded many trekkers in Mustang ,Manang, Myagdi and Dolpa districts of Nepal. The dead include 17 foreign trekkers and Nepali citizens.
According to the reports from Jomsom, more than 384 trekkers , including 216 foreigners, along the Annapurna circuit have been rescued since October 16 . Most of the trekkers returning from 5416 meter high Thorang Pass to Muktinath were trapped in the heavy snowfall.
The injured tourists were rescued by Nepal Army and the search operation of others is going on there.Many trekkers remain out of contact after a bizzard hit a point of the Annapurna circuit.Mustang is one of the popular destinations for trekkers visiting Nepal.
Nepal Army and police personnel are involved in rescue mission in Mustang , Manang, Myagdi and Dolpa .
Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) is also involved in rescue activities in Annapurna Region after massive snowfall left many trekkers stranded in different trekking areas in the region.
Many trekkers are missing or stranded in different areas in the Annapurna region like Tilicho Lake, Dhaulagiri Base Camp, Phu and Thorang Pass and Larke Base Camp in Manaslu Region.
The storm, caused by a cyclone which crossed northern India last weekend, caught trekkers as they crossed the exposed Thorong pass, one of the final stages of the famous Annapurna circuit route and its highest point. More than 110,000 foreign trekkers visited Annapurna in 2013 , a significant rise on the 106,000 in 2012.
The snowstorm is one of Nepal’s worst trekking disasters since 1995 when a huge avalanche struck the camp of a Japanese trekking group in the Mount Everest region killing 42 people, including 13 Japanese.
Nepal has suffered multiple avalanches this year, with 16 guides killed in April 16 (2014 )on Everest, forcing an unprecedented shutdown of the world’s highest Himalaya.
Oct. 18 2014
