Indian-German climber, Nepali guide killed in avalanche on Mount Manaslu

• Indian-German climber Dhruba Jyoti Guha and Nepali Sherpa guide Fursemba Sherpa were killed after an avalanche struck their tent at Camp 3 of Mount Manaslu.

• The two had advanced from Camp 2 despite bad weather and stopped communicating with expedition organisers on Saturday night.

• Their deaths take the number of fatalities on the world’s eighth-highest mountain this climbing season to four.

An Indian-German climber and his Nepali Sherpa guide were killed after an avalanche struck their tent at Camp 3 of Mount Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest peak, an expedition official said on Sunday, 20 September.

Dhruva Jyoti Guha and Fursemba Sherpa had advanced towards a higher camp from Camp 2 despite adverse weather conditions when they were caught in the avalanche on Saturday night, said Mohan Lamsal, managing director of Makalu Adventure, which organised the expedition.

Fursemba Sherpa, an experienced mountain guide from Nepal’s Makalu region, and Guha, a resident of Germany, were found buried under about seven feet of snow when a rescue team reached Camp 3, Lamsal said. "A heavy avalanche fell above their tent and both the climbers were buried in the snow," he said.

"Six other climbers from the company who decided to retreat from Camp 2 were safe, but the two who made the attempt in a hurry despite the bad weather condition met with the accident," he said.

The rescue team was sent to Camp 3 after the two climbers stopped communicating with expedition organisers. Their last communication was received on Saturday night, according to Lamsal. Efforts were underway to bring the bodies down to base camp, from where they are expected to be flown to Kathmandu on Monday, weather permitting, he said.

The deaths have taken the number of fatalities on Mount Manaslu this climbing season to four. Earlier, a Singaporean climber and a Nepali guide were killed in separate incidents on the mountain, according to the expedition organiser.

Mount Manaslu rises to 8,163 metres (26,781 feet) above sea level, making it the eighth-highest mountain in the world. Located in Nepal’s Gorkha district in the Himalayas, the mountain is about 65 km east of the Annapurna range. The name Manaslu is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning 'mountain of the spirit'.

With PTI inputs