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 More than 40 people are still missing after unseasonal weather in
peak trekking season unleashed avalanches on the 240-km (150-mile)
route around Annapurna, the world's 10th-tallest peak, which takes
enthusiasts three weeks to finish.
Twelve helicopters were pressed into action to drop searchers in
otherwise inaccessible spots, while soldiers fanned out in different
directions.
"This will be the most rigorous combing and tracking exercise we
have launched so far," Niranjan Shrestha, the army official leading
the search and rescue effort, told Reuters.
"The soldiers will be digging up the snow to make sure they do not
leave a single body behind. They have be very fast and end the
operation before evening."
The number of missing is difficult to pin down.
While the army's estimate is more than 40, the home ministry put it
higher, at more than 35 tourists and 30 Nepali men. Foreign victims
included hikers from Canada, India, Israel and Poland.
Thorong La, the highest pass along the Annapurna trek, is at an
altitude of 5,416 meters (17,769 feet), but the route does not
require mountaineering experience. Many hikers were caught
unprepared and unawares by the sudden change in the weather.
In the capital, Kathmandu, survivors recounted their brush with
death during the blizzard.
FOUR SWEPT AWAY
Four Nepali guides were swept away by an avalanche, said Horst
Ulrich, a 72-year-old German, who was on his fourth trip to Nepal
with a group of friends.
"We were in a dangerous spot and shocked at the conditions we were
seeing unfold in front of our eyes," he added. "We just got lucky."
Munchang Lama, 35, a guide for two Israeli women, found himself
marooned while he was pitching a tent for them.
"Suddenly it started raining and I took shelter between two rocks,"
said Lama, who was rescued on Friday, suffering from frostbite and
minor injuries.
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"Next morning I was not able to walk because my leg was stuck in
snow," he added. "I realized I would only be able to get out when
the snow melted."
Lama said he was able to keep up his strength by munching on nuts,
chocolates and a banana he found in the women's bags.
"This kept me alive for 48 hours," said Lama, adding that he did not
know what became of his clients.
The government has admitted failing to issue any warning that the
tail end of a cyclone that battered India last weekend would bring
extreme weather to Nepal, and has promised to set up an
early-warning system.
This week's incident was the second major mountain disaster in Nepal
this year after an avalanche killed 16 guides on Mount Everest, the
world's highest peak, in April.
The home ministry told officials in the five affected districts to
trace missing people who could have taken shelter from the storm in
hamlets, temples or other isolated spots.
At least 45 Nepali families have approached officials in the
districts of Mustang, Manang and Dolpa for help tracking down their
missing menfolk who worked as porters and guides.
"The problem is that any Nepali is free to start operating as a
porter and they do not require a license," said Keshav Pandey of
Nepal's Trekking Agencies Association. "According to our estimate
more than 85 Nepalis are still stuck."
Nepal is home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains. Income
from tourism, including permit fees from trekkers, who made up more
than 12 percent of its 800,000 tourists in 2013, accounts for 4
percent of its economy.
(Writing by Douglas Busvine; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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