MANANG: A yarsagumba picker has been reported dead in a remote VDC in Manang district on Monday.

The deceased has been identified as Purna Bahadur Gurung (30) of Banjhakhet-9 in Lamjung district. A big stone fallen from a high land is learnt to have knocked him down to death, according to the District Administration Office (DAO), Manang.

The body has not been brought to the district headquarters Chame yet. However, the final rites of deceased Gurung will be performed as per the local rituals on a local riverbank in Nar VDC, according to the DAO.

Yarsagumba, the caterpillar fungus (Cordyceps sinensis), is a prized herb as it fetches big money and people, especially the poor in rural areas, venture out into alpine meadows to dig it out.

Over the last decade or so, yarsagumba picking has become a big opportunity for these people to make seasonal income.

However, overharvesting has made this herb even rarer and people are forced to venture into difficult terrains.