Nepal avalanche kills 15 workers

At least 15 Nepali workers were killed when an avalanche buried a mountain camp they were preparing in central Nepal for ‌foreign climbers, a rescue official said on Thursday.

According to Reuters news agency, the avalanche buried the base camp of the 7,126-metre (23,379-foot) Himlung Himal mountain in the northern Manang district ⁠over the weekend where the Nepali workers were pitching tents and fixing ropes. One remains missing.

Rescuers have so far recovered 15 bodies from the site, said Tul Singh Gurung, president of Nepal National Mountain Guide Association (NNMGA).

Eight bodies were recovered from under the snow on Thursday while the other seven were retrieved earlier this week.

“The bodies that were recovered today ‌are ⁠expected to be brought by a helicopter to Kathmandu,” Gurung told Reuters.

He said chances of finding the one missing worker were dim and the rescue operation is likely to wind up.

The ⁠foreign climbers had not reached the site at the time of the avalanche.