Oct. 14 (UPI) — At least nine climbers, including a South Korean world-record holder, died after an avalanche buried them at the base camp of Mount Gurja in western Nepal.
The group, on an expedition to climb the 24,000-foot Himalayan mountain, were reported missing Friday.
An unexpected heavy snowstorm followed by a landslide buried the base camp, which sits more than 11,000 feet above sea level. The group was waiting for weather conditions to improve so they could head to a higher camp.
Along with top climber Kim Chang-ho, police identified the Koreans killed as Jaehun Lee, Jin Rim, Young Jik yoo and Joon Mo Jeong. The deceased Nepali climbers are Tsering Bhote, Lakpa Sangbu, Phurba Sherba and Netra Chantyal.
The incident was the deadliest to hit Nepal’s climbing community since an avalanche set off by an earthquake in 2015 killed 18 climbers on Mount Everest.
