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annapurna circuit
The death toll of Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit has risen to 39 after days of searches, officials say.
Snowstorms and avalanches have killed the trekkers on one of the most popular hiking routes in the Himalayas.
After a fourth day of searches, 384 people have been rescued from the Annapurna trail, 216 of them foreigners, in the country’s worst-ever trekking disaster.
Helicopters have been searching parts of the trail high as 19,000ft for survivors.
The government said the priority was to rescue 22 stranded hikers.
The trekkers are stranded at Thorung La pass, and face a shortage of food and water. Army helicopters tried to rescue them but failed after being unable to land.
It is still unclear which climbers have been accounted for and which are still missing.
The task of the authorities is made more complicated because there are thousands of climbers in Nepal at this time of the year.
Army helicopters tried unsuccessfully to rescue them on October 18 between the Mustang and Dolpa districts, government rescue coordinator Suresh Acharya said.
The death toll of Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit has risen to 39 after days of searches
Twenty bodies have been recovered but 19 bodies are still in the snow and a rescue team will be deployed on October 19 to dig them out and retrieve them by air, he said.
One of the main trekking routes – the Thorung La pass, the high point of the Annapurna Circuit – is now “relatively safe” after the army cleared snow, he said earlier.
Rescuers have only limited resources and most of the missing and dead are believed to be at the maximum heights that helicopters can reach.
Nepalese, Japanese, Israeli, Canadian, Indian, Slovak, Vietnamese and Polish trekkers are said to be among the dead.
Many survivors have been left with severe frostbite and will have to have limbs amputated.
Nepal earns huge revenues from the tens of thousands of trekkers and climbers who flock to the Himalayas every year.
This has been a particularly deadly year for Nepal’s trekking and mountaineering industry.
An avalanche on Mount Everest in April killed 16 Sherpa guides and resulted in a significant drop in the number of expeditions to the world’s highest peak.
The latest disaster comes at the height of the trekking period.
Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit is one of the oldest trekking trails in the Himalayas and has been open to foreigners since 1977.
This circuit is considered one of the best treks in the world though road construction is threatening its reputation and its future as a classic trek.
The trekking route is crossing Thorung La Pass, which sits at an altitude of 5,416 meters (17,769 feet) and connects the village of Manang in the east with the famous Hindu temple of Muktinath in Mustang in the west. The pass was originally used by locals as a trade route, herding agricultural products on yaks and donkeys.
The trekking to complete the Annapurna Circuit starts in the town of Besi Sahar, approximately a six-hour drive from the capital Kathmandu or a three-hour drive from Pokhara, a popular tourist destination.
Annapurna Circuit is one of the oldest trekking trails in the Himalayas and has been open to foreigners since 1977 (photo AP)
Many tourists still choose to walk from Besi Sahar and complete the trek in about three weeks, which takes them through small villages where locals provide food and accommodation. But in the past decade, an unpaved road runs to Chame, the headquarters of Manang district, which gives many trekkers the ability to rent jeeps and cut short the trek by at least a few days.
The circuit goes through Manang, from where trekkers can choose to hike to the Tilicho lake, one of the highest lakes in the world, sitting at an altitude of 4,919 meters (16,138 feet).
Described as “the best long distance trek in the world”, the Annapurna Circuit is known as the “apple pie” circuit due to the baked goods offered by tea houses along the route.
The circuit passes Mount Annapurna, world’s 10th highest mountain and one of the most dangerous.
This week, at least 32 people have been killed, and dozens are missing, after a devastating blizzard hit the key hiking route in Nepal.
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Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit death toll has risen to 32 after the hiking route was hit by major snowstorms and avalanches earlier this week, officials say.
Mountain rescue teams are out for the fourth day, searching for missing trekkers, and it is feared more bodies lie beneath the snow.
A total of 282 people have been rescued from the mountain ranges in what is Nepal’s worst-ever trekking disaster.
Some climbers have accused their guides of abandoning them.
A spokesman for the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal told the AFP news agency the focus of the rescue operation was now geared towards the recovery of bodies.
The task of the authorities is made more complicated because there are thousands of climbers in Nepal at this time of the year.
Rescuers have only limited resources and most of the missing and dead are believed to be at heights of around 16,000ft.
Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit death toll has risen to 32 after the hiking route was hit by major snowstorms and avalanches
Nepalese, Israeli, Canadian, Indian, Slovak and Polish trekkers are among the dead.
Many survivors have been left with severe frostbite and will have to have limbs amputated.
On October 18, helicopters were again searching the area around a high mountain pass on the Annapurna Trail, where most of the deaths occurred.
Nepal earns huge revenues from the tens of thousands of trekkers and climbers who flock to the Himalayas every year.
This has been a particularly deadly year for Nepal’s trekking and mountaineering industry.
An avalanche on Mount Everest in April killed 16 Sherpa guides and resulted in a significant drop in the number of expeditions to the world’s highest peak.
The latest disaster comes at the height of the trekking period.
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The death toll of Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit has reached 28, officials say, after blizzards struck at the height of the Himalayan climbing season.
There are fears the final toll will be higher. Nine bodies were found on October 16 and about 220 people have been rescued, but many are still missing.
Nepalese, Israeli, Canadian, Indian, Slovak and Polish trekkers are among those killed.
Severe rain and snow in Nepal appear linked to a recent cyclone in India.
Tuesday’s exceptional weather was said to be part of the remnants of Cyclone Hudhud.
Most of the deaths happened when a blizzard hit a point on the Annapurna Circuit, a well-known trekking route in central Nepal.
The bad weather hit a resting place 14,800ft above sea level, not far below the circuit’s highest point, the Thorung La pass.
The death toll of Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit has reached 28, after blizzards struck at the height of the Himalayan climbing season
October is a popular trekking season and there were likely to have been many climbers on the passes.
Two military helicopters were sent from the capital Kathmandu to assist the rescue operation on Wednesday and nine people were rescued overnight.
Many more were rescued in Thursday’s search, with both private and military helicopters deployed.
Rescue operations were called off for the day when darkness fell on Thursday evening, but will resume again on Friday, October 17.
This has been a deadly year for Nepal’s trekking and mountaineering industry, which brings in huge revenues to Nepal, one of the world’s poorest countries.
An avalanche on Mount Everest in April killed 16 Sherpa guides and resulted in a massive reduction of expeditions to the world’s highest peak.
The latest disaster comes during the peak trekking period. Thousands of tourists head to Nepal in October, many to enjoy its high altitude mountain passes and pristine beauty. But this freak heavy snowfall caught the trekkers off guard.
Nepal’s high peaks attract some of the world’s best climbers – but trekking is generally safe and appeals to masses of ordinary outdoor enthusiasts.
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At least 21 people, 10 of them foreigners, have died in central Nepal after a severe snow hit the Himalayas.
The highest number of deaths – two Israelis, two Poles and eight Nepalese – happened when a blizzard hit a point on the Annapurna Circuit.
Scores of trekkers remain out of contact while returning from an Annapurna Circuit pass.
Meanwhile five more climbers are presumed dead after an avalanche in nearby Manang district.
Officials say four were from Canada and one from India.
Three Nepalese farmers have also been killed in a separate avalanche in the same area.
At least 21 people, 10 of them foreigners, have died in central Nepal after a severe snow hit the Himalayas
Severe rain and snowstorms in Nepal appear to have been triggered by Cyclone Hudhud in neighboring India.
Cyclone Hudhud hit south-east India earlier this week – satellite pictures now show it moving away from Nepal towards China.
The bad weather hit a resting place 14,800ft above sea level, not far below the Circuit’s highest point, the Thorung La pass.
The trekkers who were killed or remain missing were on their way down.
An army official co-ordinating the search operation said two military helicopters had been sent from the capital Kathmandu to assist the rescue operation.
Thousands of trekkers visit the Annapurna Circuit every October, when weather conditions are usually favourable for hiking trips.
What appears to be a freak snowstorm a little under the highest pass caused mayhem, with many people still believed to be trapped in snow.
Only a little to the east, near Mount Manaslu, a French man died after being swept into a river.
The deaths come just months after 16 Sherpa mountain guides died in Nepal’s worst ever accident on Mount Everest.
Nepal’s high peaks attract some of the world’s best climbers – but trekking is generally safe and appeals to masses of ordinary outdoor enthusiasts.
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