Deadly Avalanche on Nepal’s Yalung Ri kills 7, Injures 5 as Bad Weather Stalls Rescue

CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian, BBC, and ABC News contributed to this report.

An avalanche ripped through a camp on Mount Yalung Ri in Nepal on Monday, killing seven people — five foreign climbers and two Nepali guides — and injuring five more, officials said.

Shailendra Thapa of Nepal’s Armed Police Force said the slide hit near base camp at about 4,900 meters (16,070 feet). The nationalities of the foreigners haven’t been formally confirmed. A rescue helicopter tried to reach the site but turned back in poor weather; teams are trekking in on foot, with another helicopter attempt planned at dawn Tuesday.

Yalung Ri, a 5,600-meter (18,370-foot) peak in Dolakha district, is often billed as a starter mountain for novices aiming above the trekking peaks. But conditions have been ugly since last week, with snowstorms sweeping the Himalayas and raising avalanche risk.

Autumn typically lures hundreds of international climbers to Nepal’s smaller summits between the monsoon and winter, even as the big expeditions wind down.

Monday’s disaster is a stark reminder: even “beginner” peaks can turn lethal when the weather flips.