Himlung Himal rescuers report four bodies recovered, 12 still missing
Rescue teams searching Himlung Himal in Nepal recovered two more bodies on Monday, September 28, bringing the number found after Sunday’s avalanche to four, according to the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association. The association said 12 people remained missing as its members continued to search the mountain in Manang district.
The figures are a rescue-team assessment, not a final accounting of everyone affected. A Manang police official said authorities were still working to establish exactly how many people remained unaccounted for. Earlier figures from another rescue agency also differed, underscoring how quickly the picture can change as teams make contact with people and check who was at the site.
What rescuers have reported
The mountain guide association said its team recovered two bodies on Sunday and two more on Monday. Its president, Tul Singh Gurung, said the four had been identified and that the search for 12 others was continuing. The missing people were described as Nepali expedition workers and guides who had been preparing for the autumn climbing season when the avalanche struck the Himlung area on Sunday morning.
The two people found on Sunday were taken from Manang to Kathmandu on Monday. Inspector Binod Bohora of the District Police Office in Manang said documentation was being prepared for the two bodies recovered later before they could also be sent to the capital. The difference in their locations reflects the timing of the recoveries, rather than separate incidents.
A rescue team led by mountain guide Mingma G Sherpa reached the Himlung base camp by helicopter on Monday morning after staying overnight in Chame, the district headquarters. Guides then began searching the affected area. Teams had also worked on Sunday, but darkness forced a pause in the search that evening, according to Manang Chief District Officer Mukti Prasad Khanal.
Why the missing-person count may change
On Sunday, Nepal’s Armed Police Force gave a different assessment: it said 12 people from an affected group had made contact from Phu village, while eight remained unaccounted for after two bodies were recovered. On Monday, the mountain guide association reported 12 still missing following the recovery of four bodies. Authorities have not publicly reconciled those counts into a single confirmed list.
The distinction matters. A person who has made contact from a nearby village is not necessarily part of the same group a mountain search team is trying to account for at the avalanche site. Equally, a reported missing-person total should not be treated as a confirmed casualty figure. Manang police said they were gathering details to determine who was still missing.
Himlung Himal rises to 7,126 metres in Nepal’s Nar Phu region. Expedition workers had been preparing the route and base camp ahead of visiting climbers. The avalanche struck during a period of severe weather that also brought flooding and landslides to parts of Manang, according to the district administration. Disrupted electricity and communications have complicated the flow of information from the area.
Search plans depend on conditions
Gurung said on Monday that the association’s team hoped to continue searching for several more hours if the weather and conditions on the mountain allowed. That was a conditional plan, not a guarantee that crews could remain at the site throughout the day. Helicopter access, visibility, daylight and the safety of people working in the snow can all affect when a search proceeds or pauses.
For now, the clearest reported update is that the mountain guide association has recovered four bodies and is searching for 12 people it says are missing. Police have not confirmed a final missing-person total. Further contact with expedition members or new findings at the site could change both the count and the rescue plan.
