Nepal blizzards kill 29, including hikers, guides
18 Oct 2014 4:44 AM IST
At least 29 people, including eight foreign hikers and a group of yak herders, were killed in Nepal by unseasonal blizzards and avalanches triggered by the tail of cyclone Hudhud, officials said on Wednesday.
Rescue officials said the death toll could rise as dozens of other foreigners and locals who had been trekking were out of contact due to poor communication links and could have been caught in blizzards.
Two climbers from Slovakia and three Nepalese guides were also reported missing.
The hikers’ deaths come during the peak trekking season in Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountain peaks, including Mount Everest. For the past two days, Nepal has been lashed by heavy rains brought on by the cyclone that has battered neighbouring India.
The weather triggered blizzards at high altitudes. The bodies of a Nepali citizen, two Polish nationals and an Israeli hiker were found along a popular trekking route in the Thorang-La area near Annapurna, the world’s 10th highest mountain, said Baburam Bhandari, governor of the district of Mustang. Bhandari said the group perished in a blizzard. ‘We have rescued five German, five Polish and four Israeli trekkers.’
Rescue officials said the death toll could rise as dozens of other foreigners and locals who had been trekking were out of contact due to poor communication links and could have been caught in blizzards.
Two climbers from Slovakia and three Nepalese guides were also reported missing.
The hikers’ deaths come during the peak trekking season in Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountain peaks, including Mount Everest. For the past two days, Nepal has been lashed by heavy rains brought on by the cyclone that has battered neighbouring India.
The weather triggered blizzards at high altitudes. The bodies of a Nepali citizen, two Polish nationals and an Israeli hiker were found along a popular trekking route in the Thorang-La area near Annapurna, the world’s 10th highest mountain, said Baburam Bhandari, governor of the district of Mustang. Bhandari said the group perished in a blizzard. ‘We have rescued five German, five Polish and four Israeli trekkers.’
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