KATHMANDU: A team of four International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA) guides reached the base camp of Yalung Ri peak in the Rolwaling region today to search for climbers buried in a massive avalanche on November 3.

According to the Nepal National Mountain Guides Association (NNMGA), the dedicated Search and Rescue (SAR) team was deployed to Yalung Ri Mountain in Dolakha to conduct a search and recovery mission for those missing after the devastating avalanche. “The four-member rescue team is led by IFMGA/NNMGA guide Riten Jangbu Sherpa, accompanied by IFMGA/NNMGA guides Pasang Kidar Sherpa from Rolwaling, Chhiring Sonam Lama, and aspirant guide Pasang Temba Sharpa,” the association stated.

The avalanche struck on the morning of November 3 as a team of climbers was ascending a steep ice slope near the summit. At least seven climbers, including five foreigners, were buried. At least five others were injured in the incident and are now undergoing treatment in Kathmandu hospitals.

“The team will attempt to recover the bodies of five climbers, as two have already been retrieved from the incident site,” said Nimgeli Sherpa, Ward Chairman of Gaurishankar Rural Municipality. The recovered bodies are those of Paolo Cocco of Italy and Christian Andre Manfredi of France, Sherpa added.

A Heli Everest chopper, piloted by Captain Priya Adhikari and coordinated by the company's director, Mingma Sherpa, airlifted the two bodies from base camp to Kathmandu for postmortem this afternoon.

Among those buried in the avalanche were Italian Paolo Cocco, Italian-Canadian Marco Di Marcello, German Jakob Schreiber, Italian Markus Kirchler, and French trekker Christian Andre Manfredi. Their guides, Padam Tamang from Dreamers Destination Treks and Mere Karki of Wilderness Outdoors, were also buried. Three Nepali and two French nationals were injured in the incident.