Deadly Avalanche at Nepal's Yalung Ri Peak Claims Seven Lives: Three Italians Among Victims

Five climbers managed to survive a devastating avalanche in Nepal's eastern mountains.

In a tragic mountaineering incident in eastern Nepal, seven people lost their lives when an avalanche struck a base camp, according to an expedition organizer's statement on Tuesday. Recovery operations are currently underway to retrieve the victims' remains.

The avalanche descended upon a group of 12 individuals at the base camp of Yalung Ri peak, which stands at 5,630 meters (18,471 feet), on Monday morning.

Phurba Tenjing Sherpa from Dreamers Destination, the expedition organizing company, informed AFP that among the deceased were three Italian nationals, along with one German and one French climber, plus two Nepali citizens.

"I have personally viewed all seven bodies," stated Sherpa, who arrived at the avalanche site on Monday to assist with rescue operations.

Sherpa's company had organized the expedition for three of the seven victims who perished in the disaster.

According to Gyan Kumar Mahato, a senior police official in Dolakha district, rescue teams successfully evacuated the five survivors, including two French nationals and two Nepali citizens, on Tuesday morning.

"A helicopter carrying rescuers was able to reach the location early today," Mahato reported.

Nepal, home to eight of the world's ten highest mountain peaks, including Mount Everest, attracts hundreds of climbers and trekkers annually.

The autumn season represents the second most popular period for Himalayan expeditions, despite challenging conditions including shorter daylight hours, colder temperatures, snowy terrain, and a narrower summit window compared to the busier spring season.

Last week, Cyclone Montha brought heavy precipitation across Nepal, leaving numerous trekkers and tourists stranded along popular Himalayan trekking routes.

Tourism officials also reported on Monday that two Italian climbers have gone missing while attempting to scale a remote peak in western Nepal.

According to the Himalayan Database, at least 1,093 people have died on Himalayan peaks since 1950, with avalanches accounting for nearly one-third of these fatalities.