Avalanche on Nepal mountain Yalung Ri kills 7 including foreign climbers

By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA
Associated Press

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — An avalanche swept through a camp on Mount Yalung Ri in Nepal on Monday and killed five foreign climbers and two Nepali guides, officials said.

Armed Police Force spokesperson Shailendra Thapa said five other people were hurt at the base camp, located at 4,900 meters (16,070 feet).

The nationalities and identities of the foreign climbers were yet to be confirmed.

Weather has been deteriorating since last week in Nepal, with snowstorms reported on the mountains.

Rescuers were reaching the site on foot. A rescue helicopter attempted to reach the site but bad weather forced it to turn back. Thapa said it will try again Tuesday at dawn.

Mount Yalung Ri is a 5,600-meter (18,370-foot) peak. It is considered a mountain for beginners with no previous experience in climbing high mountains.

Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 tallest mountains, including Mount Everest. Spring is the most popular climbing season, when weather is favorable on those tall peaks.

However, hundreds of foreign climbers come to climb smaller peaks during the autumn months between the rainy monsoon months and winter.