Search Operations Underway for 12 Missing Following Deadly Avalanche on Mount Himlung in Nepal

Family members and friends of Nepali climbers gathered as the bodies of Nepali climbers recovered after an avalanche on Mount Himlung lay at the morgue of a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Monday, September 28, 2026, captured in a photograph by Niranjan Shrestha/AP.

Rescuers are actively searching for a dozen individuals who were swept away by an avalanche that resulted in at least two deaths during severe weather conditions on a Nepalese mountain. At least 10 people have been successfully rescued from Mount Himlung, a 7,126-metre (23,380-foot) peak situated in north-central Nepal, following the avalanche that struck on Sunday. The remains of the two deceased individuals were airlifted on Monday to Kathmandu airport and subsequently transported to the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.

“Two bodies were found as rescuers worked until 6pm (12:30 GMT) last night,” stated Tul Singh Gurung, president of the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association, in an interview with the AFP news agency. “The search continues for 14 expedition workers who are still missing.” A dedicated team of eight mountain guides is currently involved in the ongoing search operation, he added. All of the individuals either killed or missing are Nepali nationals.

The avalanche struck while the workers were stationed at a base camp, preparing for the arrival of foreign clients to climb the peak for the autumn climbing season that commenced this month. Additionally, flooding and landslides were reported in the Manang district—where the mountain is located—over the weekend, both triggered by heavy rainfall, according to the district administration.

This tragic avalanche coincides with warnings issued by the government concerning severe weather spanning the entire Himalayan nation. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) reported that 21 other people were killed and five more remain missing across various parts of the country between Thursday and Sunday. Nepal continues to recover from devastating flooding in August that swept away multiple villages, resulting in more than 1,400 deaths.

According to the NDRRMA, 5,500 people were still missing and 13,795 had been rescued following the earlier disaster. Furthermore, researchers from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group noted in a report published last week that the disaster was not the result of a single extreme weather event, but rather a “compound crisis” driven by long-term warming, glacier retreat, permafrost thaw, and geological instability.