Thousands of foreigners come to Nepal in October to cross a mountain pass in a grueling three-week adventure in the Himalayas. Last week, one of most gorgeous passes in Nepal turned into a graveyard, killing at least 38 trekkers from several countries.
For decades, October has been the best month to trek along the Annapurna Circuit, one of the most popular mountain trails in Nepal and one that requires crossing the Thorung La Pass at an altitude of 17,769 feet.
On Tuesday, a snowstorm hit several points along the circuit, killing trekkers and porters who were crossing the pass, according to the Nepali Times.
Dozens are missing in what has become one of the deadliest Himalayan incidents in a country that is still recovering from the tragedy of an avalanche that killed 16 Sherpas last spring on Mount Everest.
Although trekking the Annapurna Circuit to cross the Thorung La Pass might not be as grueling as climbing Everest, it is certainly not easy and without risks.
Most people who attempt to cross the pass do not require any training, but the potential for acute altitude sickness remains.
However, the deaths of so many trekkers on this route was unprecedented. October is considered a favorable month for climbing and is not generally known for severe weather that would create dangerous conditions.
Weather and the trail along the Annapurna Circuit were clear, with very little snow until Saturday, Oct. 11. A cyclone that made landfall in India on Oct. 12 changed things overnight.
By that time, hundreds of trekkers were already high up in the mountains, with very limited or almost no access to telephones or news to monitor weather reports.
Countries whose citizens were killed during the trek: Canada, Nepal, India, Israel, Poland, Slovakia.
Based on the latest report out of Kathmandu, 85 of the 345 trekkers who registered at a checkpoint Monday en route to the two closest camps before the pass — Yak Kharka and Thorung Phedi — had not made it to the other side.
About 100 trekkers were said to have left the final base camp, also known as High Camp, which provides food and accommodation the night before trekkers begin a three-hour ascent to cross the pass.
Many trekkers who had already crossed the pass are still said to be missing as Nepal’s army and private helicopters continue search and rescue missions.
Some private helicopter companies are also leading such missions in other affected districts, where locals and trekkers have been reported missing in the blizzard.
According to Capt. Siddhartha Gurung of Simrik Airlines, private helicopters have flown to Nar Phu village in Manang, from where bodies were recovered, while search missions continue on the Thorung La Pass, Tilicho Lake and Mount Dhaulagiri.
