Avalanche hits Mt Manaslu base camp in Nepal, no casualty
An avalanche hit the base camp of Mount Manaslu in Nepal on Sunday morning destroying tents barely a week after a similar avalanche claimed the life of two mountaineers, among whom one was from India. No casualty was reported in the incident, as per Tashi Sherpa, who first spotted the avalanche. It is the world's eighth highest peak and fifth most dangerous to summit.
Rescue ops underway, helicopters conducting searches
Last Monday, two mountaineers were killed while 11 others were injured in an avalanche that struck the base camp of Mt Manaslu. The snowslide came down heavily on the route right below the Camp 4 of the mountain when the climbers were carrying logistics to camps at higher altitudes. Rescue operations were being carried out with several helicopters scanning the area.
Around three dozen tents were destroyed in the avalanche
Over 400 permits for Mt Manaslu this year
The Nepal government has issued more than 400 permits for mountaineering to climb Mt Manaslu this year. Till date, 53 people have lost their lives at Mt Manaslu in 297 attempts, according to a report by PTI. The peak's altitude is 8,163 meters above sea level. The fresh avalanche destroyed around three dozen tents, said Sherpa in an Instagram post.
Weather remained unfavorable throughout this season
The weather has not been favorable throughout this season, mountaineers have reported. A heavy mass of snow descending rapidly on a mountain slope is called an avalanche or snowslide. It occurs spontaneously because of several factors including excessive precipitation, decreasing snowpack, or wind direction. It could also be triggered by external factors such as an increased movement of people or animals, or earthquakes.
Avalanche Monitoring Radar set up in Sikkim last month
An avalanche monitoring radar was set up last month in north Sikkim jointly by the Indian Army and the Defense Geoinformatics and Research Establishment (DGRE). Apart from avalanches, the radar also picks up landslides. The DGRE is a wing of the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) which forecasts avalanche hazards faced by the Indian Army in the Himalayan region.
