At least seven killed including five tourists after horror avalanche hit climbers’ base camp in Himalayas

At least seven climbers, including five foreign nationals, were killed after an avalanche struck the Yalung Ri base camp in Nepal’s Rolwaling range on Monday morning.

Four Nepali high-altitude workers remain missing as rescue efforts continue amid severe weather.

The 15-member team, made up of climbers from France, Canada, Italy, and Nepal, was acclimatising before attempting nearby Dolma Kang.

Poor visibility and heavy snowfall have hampered helicopter rescues, delaying recovery operations.

The avalanche hit at approximately 8:30am local time.

The group had originally planned to summit Dolma Kang, a peak rising to 6,334 metres.

As part of acclimatisation efforts, they aimed to first climb Yalung Ri, which stands at 5,630 metres.

According to reports, they had spent the previous evening in Na village before setting out for base camp.

Deputy Superintendent Gyan Kumar Mahato told local media that all climbers on the slope were buried by the avalanche.

“The avalanche buried everyone on the slope.

“”We got the information late, and the difficult weather delayed immediate response,” Mahato said.

“As soon as we were informed, we coordinated with the Home Ministry and deployed the Army, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Police from Lamabager,” he added.

Mahato reiterated that the averse weather conditions had delayed rescue attempts.

He explained that helicopters were unable to reach the site, forcing rescue teams to travel on foot.

“But due to heavy snowfall and clouds, helicopters couldn’t be flown, and reaching the site on foot was extremely difficult,” Mahato said.

Speaking to local media, one of the injured climbers said they had called for help several times but heard nothing for hours.

He expressed frustration, believing that a coordinated response could have saved more lives.

“A helicopter was expected within four hours, but by the time it arrived, several climbers had already succumbed,” he said.

The Rolwaling Valley had been experiencing heavy snowfall for several days prior to the incident.

Although the expedition waited for a break in the weather, the snowpack remained dangerously unstable.

A helicopter finally reached Na village by Monday evening and rescue operations are expected to resume on Tuesday morning.

Authorities continue to search for the missing climbers.