Nepal Blizzard Toll Rises

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2014-10-19

Nepalese search and rescue officials say a surprise blizzard has killed at least 39 hikers in the Himalayas and injured more than 150.

On Saturday, authorities recovered the bodies of two hikers from India and Japan. But they say a lack of records has made it difficult to calculate the number of people still missing.

Government officials say more than 300 people have been rescued so far, and dozens more are believed to still be sheltering in isolated mountain huts.

Many of the hikers were on Nepal’s popular Annapurna trail where the storm produced avalanches. This is the peak hiking season.

Among the dead are Canadians, Indians, Israelis, Slovaks and Poles, but many of the victims are most likely Nepalese porters, according Ram Chandra Sharma of the Trekking Agents Association of Nepal.

The government says it failed to issue any warning that the tail end of a cyclone that battered India could bring extreme weather to Nepal, and has promised to set up an early-warning system.

The incident was the second major mountain disaster in Nepal this year after an avalanche in April above base camp on Mount Everest killed 16 guides.

Source: Voice of America

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