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Eight climbers killed in Nepal snowstorm

Gurja Himal. Photo: Ramesh Swapnil

Kathmandu, October 13

Eight climbers have died in a snowstorm on Gurja Himal, the lowest peak of Dhaulagiri Mountain Range in western Nepal.

Five South Koreans assisted by four Nepali porters were on a mission to conquer the 7,193 metre peak, and eight of them died at the base camp in Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality-1 of Myagdi district, according to local police.

DSP Bir Bahadur Budha Magar of the District Police Office says the remaining one climber is missing since the incident.

Meanwhile, bad weather conditions and difficult geographical terrain blocked the rescue works. A helicopter had left Pokhara to the incident site, but it could not land due to bad weather, according to the official.

Budha says another effort will be made to fly the chopper to the site in the afternoon.

The expedition team had left nearby Gurja village for the base camp on Sunday last week. After they could not be contacted for long, villagers had sent a search mission to the base camp on Friday.

The mission members had found the bodies at the base camp yesterday.

It was the first expedition on the peak in past 10 years.

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