OCT 17 -
Nineteen more bodies were recovered in Manang, Mustang and Myagdi districts on Thursday, pushing the death toll of unseasonal blizzard s and avalanche
s in the Annapurna region to 29. Eleven bodies were those of foreign
nationals, the authorities said. The search teams also rescued 211
people from the region.
According to Govind Prasad Pathak, chief of police in Mustang, nine
bodies, including those of three Nepalis, two Israelis and one Polish,
were recovered near Thorong La pass at an altitude of 5,400 metres above
the sea level. The identities of the victims are yet to be ascertained.
In Manang district, five bodies--of three Nepalis and two Indians--were
found in Kangla Fu pass. Deputy Superintendent of Police Rajendra Babu
Regmi said they could not bring the remains to Chame because of bad
weather.
Five helicopters were used to rescue the trekkers and their associates
trapped in the Annapurna region since early Tuesday morning. Chief
District Officer of Manang Devendra Lamichhane said all rescue efforts
had to be halted on Thursday evening because of poor visibility. He said
the weather was clear from 6am until 5pm.
In Myagdi, bodies of five people--three Nepalis and two Slovaks--were
pulled out the snow. They had been reported missing in an avalanche on Tuesday. Two Indian trekkers were rescued from the area.
The disaster is the second deadliest tragedy to hit the mountains in Nepal this year after the massive avalanche in Everest region that killed 16 Sherpa guides in April.
Meanwhile, the government has formed a high-level team under Tourism
Minister Deepak Chandra Amatya to assist in the ongoing search and
rescue mission. A meeting of the team members was held at the Tourism
Ministry on Thursday to discuss the ways to make the search and rescue
mission more effective. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala has
extended condolence to the families of those killed in blizzard s and avalanche
s. Koirala urged the Army, police, local administrations, tourism
entrepreneurs, and trekking and mountaineering agencies operating in the
area for prompt search and rescue of the people missing in the
incident. Koirala added that the government was ready to collaborate
with non-government organisations and development partners to improve
the weather forecast system along the trekking routes.
100 missing in Upper Dolpa
Around 100 people, including 60 foreign trekkers, have been reported
missing in remote Upper Dolpa. Hem Thapa of CG Trekking Store said that
of the 10 tourist teams who were trekking around the region, only one
comprising 17 members came in contact on Thursday afternoon. The status
of other teams remained unknown as of the evening.
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