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KATHMANDU: A search team recovered the last two remaining bodies that disappeared after a January Himalayan avalanche that buried four South Korean hikers and three locals on Friday, officials said Saturday (May 2).
A wall of snow hit hikers about 3,200 m (10,500 ft) near Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal on January 17, covering them under meters of snow.
Avalanches and more snow since then made it too dangerous to start a proper search. Police returned to the area on Friday last week after melted snow revealed a bag.
“The two bodies were found this morning, a Nepali and a South Korean, after the search teams dug in the snow. We have now recovered all the bodies,” local chamber president Him Bahadur Gurung told AFP.
“A helicopter is on standby to shoot down the bodies once the weather allows it.”
The four South Koreans, two men and two women, were part of a team of volunteer teachers who worked with children in Nepal.
The body of his Nepal guide was found on Friday of last week. Three bodies of the South Koreans were found in the next two days.
Another body, from a local guide who had worked for a Chinese team, was also found a month earlier.
The Korean embassy in Nepal could not be reached for comment.
Nepal has been in a Covid-19 (coronavirus) blockade for the past month with all trekking permits suspended.
Thousands of hikers visit Nepal each year for its breathtaking views of the Himalayas and routes lined with picturesque villages.
The Annapurna region is particularly popular, with more than 170,000 visitors in 2018. – AFP
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