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At least 15 Nepali workers have been killed after an avalanche buried a mountain camp they were preparing for foreign climbers in central Nepal, officials said on Thursday.
The avalanche struck the base camp of 7,126-metre Himlung Himal in Manang district on September 26, burying workers who were pitching tents and fixing ropes ahead of the autumn climbing season.
Rescuers recovered eight more bodies from beneath the snow on Thursday, bringing the death toll to 15.
One worker remains missing, while the chances of finding the person alive are considered slim.
The bodies recovered on Thursday are expected to be airlifted to Kathmandu. Rescue operations have been hampered by difficult weather and hazardous conditions at the high-altitude site.
No foreign climbers were at the base camp when the avalanche struck.
The workers had travelled ahead of the climbing teams to prepare the route and establish the camp.
The incident is the deadliest accident of Nepal’s current autumn climbing season.
The country’s mountain tourism industry employs thousands of guides, porters and support workers, but increasingly difficult conditions linked to melting glaciers and changing weather patterns are adding to risks in high-altitude areas.
