A massive landslide struck near the village of Lete in northern Nepal’s Mustang district on Sept. 27, sending part of a mountainside crashing into the Kali Gandaki River. Video from the area showed trees and structures being swept away.
Heavy rain in Nepal’s mountain regions since Thursday has caused widespread flooding and landslides. Nepal’s disaster management agency reported at least 21 deaths in weather-related incidents from Thursday through Sunday.
Separately, an avalanche struck a base camp near Himlung Himal in the Himalayas on Sunday morning, hitting Nepali guides and support workers preparing for the fall climbing season.
Rescuers reached the area by helicopter and saved 10 people. Four bodies were recovered, while another 12 people remained missing.
Search operations were later suspended because of severe weather and difficult conditions. Rescuers said they did not believe the missing workers had survived.
More than 20 employees from two expedition companies had arrived in the area ahead of the climbing season to prepare routes and install ropes. One company reported at least eight members of its team missing.
Dozens of Israeli hikers were also stranded in the village of Samagaun in Nepal’s Manaslu region after landslides blocked roads and damaged bridges. The tourists appealed for evacuation amid concerns that conditions could deteriorate further.
The latest extreme weather comes about a month after a glacier collapse near the Nepal-China border on Aug. 26 triggered a massive flow of rock, ice, mud and debris through Himalayan river valleys, causing catastrophic flooding.
As of Sept. 2, more than 1,000 people had been confirmed dead and nearly 4,000 remained missing. Fifty-six Ukrainian citizens traveling in several tourist groups were among those still unaccounted for at the time.