Seven climbers—five foreigners and two Nepalis—were killed and four others went missing after an avalanche struck the base camp of Yalung Ri in the Rolwaling mountain range of Dolakha district on Monday. All the missing persons are Nepali high-altitude workers.

According to the District Police Office in Dolakha, the avalanche hit the expedition of 15, including five foreign climbers and 10 Nepali high altitude workers, at around 8:30 am while they were ascending Yalung Ri (5,630 metres). Four other Nepalis sustained injuries in the tragedy.

Soon after the avalanche, the injured climbers called out to their teammates who stayed back in Na village for help. “However, rescue could not be carried out in time, resulting in huge casualties,” said one of the injured climbers.

According to him, the group had originally come to climb Dolma Kang (6,334 metres). Before attempting that peak, they had planned to climb Yalung Ri as part of their acclimatisation schedule. The team had spent the night in Na village before heading to the Yalung Ri base camp.

“The avalanche buried everyone on the slope,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Gyan Kumar Mahato. “We got the information late, and the difficult weather delayed immediate response.” 

Rescue operations have been severely hampered by poor weather conditions. “As soon as we were informed, we coordinated with the Home Ministry and deployed the Army, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Police from Lamabagar,” said Mahato. “But due to heavy snowfall and clouds, helicopters couldn’t be flown, and reaching the site on foot was extremely difficult.”

One of the injured climbers, speaking to The Kathmandu Post from Na village, said they had repeatedly called for help but gotten no response for hours. “We shouted and cried for help, but no one could reach us,” he said. “We were told that a helicopter would come after four hours, but by then several of our friends were gone.” He said the delay in rescue had resulted in a major human loss. “Had the rescue arrived on time, more lives could have been saved. Four of our friends are out of contact,” he lamented.

The climbers had spent the night at Na village before heading to the Yalung Ri base camp on Sunday, following a brief improvement in the weather.

The Rolwaling Valley had experienced continuous snow and poor weather conditions for several days before the tragedy. The local people of Na had descended to Beding following continuous snowfall. “The team set out only after the weather cleared on Sunday, but the snowpack remained unstable,” Mahato explained.

“Although there were several rescue attempts throughout the day, the operations could not proceed because helicopters were unable to reach the site,” said Mahato. “A helicopter finally reached Na village on Monday evening, and we have also deployed rescue teams on foot.” He added that the rescue operation would resume on Tuesday morning.