Nepal Hiker Deaths: 17 People From Around The World Die In Heavy Himalayan Snowfall

People from around the world travel to Nepal to explore the spectacular Himalayan Mountains. However, there are numerous perils that face hikers on the snowy mountain. Hikers experienced those perils on Tuesday when 17 people died in a heavy snow storm.

CNN reports that a dozen of the deaths were in the popular Annapurna region, Nepal army spokesman Niranjan Shrestha said, while another five were in the neighboring Manang district. The report notes that it was one of the deadliest such tragedies in the history of Nepal.

The hikers got struck unexpectedly by exceptionally heavy snowfall created by the leftover storm system of Cyclone Hud-hud in eastern India. The deaths are global with hikers from across the world passing in the tragedy.

The trekkers who died Tuesday evening were located near the iconic 17,770-foot Thorung La Pass, the highest point of the 21-day Annapurna Circuit trek. Four bodies have been recovered so far. The nationalities of the deceased currently identified as two Poles, an Israeli, and a Nepali. Eight more remain buried under the suffocating snow with their nationalities currently unknown. Dying in the same storm, five more hikers– four Canadians and an Indian — died in remote Manang district Tuesday, and their bodies were found Wednesday, Manang district police official Narayan Datta Chapagain told CNN.

According to Haaretz, nearly 170 people were trekking toward the Thorang La pass along the well-traveled Annapurna route Tuesday when the snowstorm hit. Baburam Bhandari, the chief officer of Mustang district, said 60 people rescued earlier had been admitted to nearby Jomsom Hospital. An unknown number are still missing.

The tragedy could be a major one for Israel as well. Rabbi David Slavin, director of Chabad in Nepal, said that the storm occurred Tuesday afternoon Nepali time, and that current uncertainty prevails in the region.

“We know that approximately 200 Israelis are in the region, the majority of whom have been evacuated, however we still don’t gave an exact number of missing people.”

The Chabad House in Nepal has set up a situation room, which has been flooded with phone call from concerned relatives. On Chabad Nepal’s Facebook page, relatives have been posting messages trying to ascertain the whereabouts of their loved ones.

This isn’t the first tragedy to strike Nepal this year. Just six months ago a deadly avalanche killed 16 Sherpas on Mount Everest. The accident happened just prior to the peak tourist season and caused many of the Everest expedition companies to call off hikes after Sherpas refused to climb the mountain.