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Nepal Annapurna: Climbing disaster toll reaches 32 | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
At least 32 climbers have died on a key Nepali hiking route after it was hit by major snowstorms and avalanches earlier this week, officials say. | At least 32 climbers have died on a key Nepali hiking route after it was hit by major snowstorms and avalanches earlier this week, officials say. |
Mountain rescue teams are out for the fourth day, searching for missing trekkers, and it is feared more bodies lie beneath the snow. | Mountain rescue teams are out for the fourth day, searching for missing trekkers, and it is feared more bodies lie beneath the snow. |
A total of 282 people have been rescued from the mountain ranges in what is Nepal's worst-ever trekking disaster. | |
Some climbers have accused their guides of abandoning them. | Some climbers have accused their guides of abandoning them. |
A spokesman for the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal told the AFP news agency the focus of the rescue operation was now geared towards the recovery of bodies. | |
The BBC's Andrew North in Nepal says that it is still not clear which climbers have been accounted for and which are still missing. | |
The task of the authorities is made more complicated because there are thousands of climbers in Nepal at this time of the year. | |
Rescuers have only limited resources and most of the missing and dead are believed to be at heights of around 5,000m (16,000ft), our correspondent says. | |
Nepalese, Israeli, Canadian, Indian, Slovak and Polish trekkers are among the dead. | |
Many survivors have been left with severe frostbite and will have to have limbs amputated. | Many survivors have been left with severe frostbite and will have to have limbs amputated. |
On Saturday, helicopters were again searching the area around a high mountain pass on the Annapurna Trail, where most of the deaths occurred. | On Saturday, helicopters were again searching the area around a high mountain pass on the Annapurna Trail, where most of the deaths occurred. |
Nepal earns huge revenues from the tens of thousands of trekkers and climbers who flock to the Himalayas every year. | Nepal earns huge revenues from the tens of thousands of trekkers and climbers who flock to the Himalayas every year. |
However, it remains a very poor country and the authorities here have struggled to cope with the scale of this disaster, our correspondent says. | |
What is the Annapurna Circuit? | What is the Annapurna Circuit? |
Nepal blizzards: Survival guide | |
This has been a particularly deadly year for Nepal's trekking and mountaineering industry. | This has been a particularly deadly year for Nepal's trekking and mountaineering industry. |
An avalanche on Mount Everest in April killed 16 Sherpa guides and resulted in a significant drop in the number of expeditions to the world's highest peak. | An avalanche on Mount Everest in April killed 16 Sherpa guides and resulted in a significant drop in the number of expeditions to the world's highest peak. |
The latest disaster comes at the height of the trekking period. | The latest disaster comes at the height of the trekking period. |
Are you or anyone you know affected by this story? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk | Are you or anyone you know affected by this story? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk |
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (international). Or you can upload here. | Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (international). Or you can upload here. |
Read the terms and conditions. | Read the terms and conditions. |