KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 5

Local rescuers on Tuesday recovered two bodies from the Yalung Ri avalanche site in the Rolwaling region, while a team of International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA) guides was deployed today for further retrieval operations.

According to the Nepal National Mountain Guides Association (NNMGA), the four-member Search and Rescue (SAR) team is led by IFMGA/NNMGA guide Riten Jangbu Sherpa, along with Pasang Kidar Sherpa, Chhiring Sonam Lama, and aspirant guide Pasang Temba Sherpa. The team reached the Yalung Ri base camp this morning to continue search efforts for the missing climbers buried in the November 3 avalanche.

'Equipped with world-class search and rescue technology, including a RECCO detector, the team is well-prepared to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of the recovery operation in the challenging alpine terrain,' NNMGA added.

According to reports citing local official Nimgeli Sherpa, the bodies of Paolo Cocco of Italy and Christian Andre Manfredi of France were successfully recovered by local rescuers. The remains were subsequently airlifted to Kathmandu on Wednesday for postmortem examinations. The air operation was carried out by a Heli Everest helicopter, piloted by Captain Priya Adhikari and coordinated by Mingma Sherpa.

At least seven climbers, including five foreigners and two Nepali guides, were killed when a massive avalanche struck near the summit of Yalung Ri (5,630m) on Monday morning. The deceased include Italians Paolo Cocco, Marco Di Marcello, and Markus Kirchler; German climber Jakob Schreiber; French trekker Christian Andre Manfredi; and Nepali guides Padam Tamang and Mere Karki.

Five others, three Nepalis and two French nationals, were rescued and flown to Kathmandu for treatment. They are Nima Gyalzen Sherpa, Lakpa Tamang, and Sun Bahadur Gurung from Nepal, and French nationals Isabelle Solange Thaon and Didier Arman Berton.

Police earlier confirmed that a 50-member joint rescue team from the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Police has been mobilized to assist recovery efforts.

The Yalung Ri tragedy, which coincided with another deadly avalanche on Panbari Himal in the Manaslu region, has claimed at least nine lives across the Himalayas in recent days. The incident has also reignited debate over Nepal's cumbersome rescue permit procedures, with climbers and local officials blaming bureaucratic delays for the prolonged emergency response.