Rescue teams in Nepal have recovered four bodies and are searching for 12 missing people after an avalanche buried the Himlung Himal base camp on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. The disaster struck support staff preparing the 7,126-meter peak for the autumn climbing season, leaving 16 people trapped under more than 15 feet of snow.
The avalanche hit the base camp in the Nar Phu region of Manang district during a period of persistent rain and heavy snowfall. Those caught in the slide were Nepali nationals, including kitchen staff and climbing guides, who had been deployed to fix ropes and set up tents ahead of foreign clients. A 14-member all-women group from a UAE climbing school was scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu on Oct. 1.
Casualties and the Recovery Effort
Search and rescue operations, led by Mingma G Sherpa of Imagine Nepal Trek and Expedition, have identified four deceased workers. The first two bodies, guides Pasang Bhote and Chhebi Bhote, were recovered Sunday. Two more victims, Birendra Gurung and Ghan Shyam Rai, were recovered on Monday.
Four bodies have been recovered and identified.
Tul Singh Gurung, President of the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association
The recovery process has been hampered by severe weather. Two bodies were airlifted to Kathmandu and taken to the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, while two others were transported to Chame, the district headquarters of Manang. According to the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association (NNMGA), the victims included 14 kitchen staff members and two climbing guides with different companies
.
Manang District Weather and Safety Warnings
The disaster occurred despite official attempts to mitigate risk. The District Administration Office in Manang had prohibited trekking in several high-altitude areas from Sept. 25 to 27 due to forecasts of heavy rainfall and snowfall. Heavy rains also triggered flooding and landslides across the district over the weekend.
The scale of the burial has left rescuers pessimistic about finding survivors. Tents were buried beneath more than 15 feet of snow, and one source reports that chances of finding survivors were slim.
A Deadly 2026 Himalayan Season
This incident is part of a broader pattern of fatalities in the 2026 climbing season across the Himalayas and Karakoram. Before the Himlung Himal avalanche, at least 24 climbers and high-altitude workers had already died, including four deaths on Manaslu this month and an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The region is also struggling with the aftermath of a massive glacial collapse in August that killed more than 1,400 people and left nearly 6,000 missing.
Anomalies in the Himlung Slide
Video footage indicates over two meters of snow covering the flat plateau of the base camp. Analysis by Gorskie Mapie of Poland, using NASA mapping, shows a gentle slope above the camp, suggesting a slide avalanche
where fresh snow slid over frozen ground rather than a traditional high-velocity chute.
As search efforts continue on Monday, the primary uncertainty remains the fate of the 12 missing kitchen staff, whose survival is considered very unlikely
due to the depth of the snow burial.