Indian-German climber, Nepali Sherpa guide killed in Mount Manaslu avalanche

Rescue teams search for climbers after an avalanche struck Camp 3 of Mount Manaslu in Nepal. (Image: X)

An Indian-German climber and his Nepali Sherpa guide were killed after an avalanche struck their tent at Camp 3 of Mount Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest peak, in Nepal, according to PTI.

Dhruva Jyoti Guha and Fursemba Sherpa had moved towards a higher camp from Camp 2 despite adverse weather conditions and were caught in the avalanche on Saturday night, Mohan Lamsal, managing director of Makalu Adventure, which organised the expedition, said.

Fursemba Sherpa was an experienced mountain guide from Nepal’s Makalu, while Guha was a resident of Germany.

Their bodies were found buried under around seven feet of snow when a rescue team reached Camp 3, Lamsal said.

“A heavy avalanche fell above their tent and both the climbers were buried in the snow,” he said, according to PTI.

Climbers caught in avalanche at Camp 3

Lamsal said six other climbers from the expedition company had decided to retreat from Camp 2 because of the bad weather and were safe. Guha and Fursemba, however, had attempted to move higher despite the conditions.

“The two who made the attempt in a hurry despite the bad weather condition met with the accident,” Lamsal said.

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The rescue team was sent to Camp 3 after the two climbers stopped communicating with expedition organisers. Their last communication was received on Saturday night, PTI reported.

Efforts were underway to bring the bodies down to the mountain’s base camp. From there, they are expected to be flown to Kathmandu on Monday, weather permitting, Lamsal said.

Four deaths reported on Manaslu this season

The deaths of Guha and Fursemba have taken the number of fatalities on Mount Manaslu during the current climbing season to four.

According to the expedition organiser, a Singaporean climber and a Nepali guide had earlier died in separate incidents on the mountain.

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Mount Manaslu stands at 8,163 metres (26,781 feet) above sea level and is the eighth-highest mountain in the world. It is located in Nepal’s Gorkha district in the Himalayas, around 65 km east of the Annapurna range.

The name Manaslu is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning “mountain of the spirit,” PTI reported.