Another wave of landslides and heavy rain have killed about 30 people in Nepal, as the Himalayan nation reels from August's catastrophic flooding that left 1,400 dead and thousands more missing.
The national disaster management authority says more than 1,900 families have been affected since late last week, with over 240 homes damaged and roads, buildings and bridges swept away.
Hundreds of trekkers on the Annapurna Circuit—thirty‑two‑hour, three‑week pilgrimage that is vital to the country's tourism economy—had to cut short their journeys and seek safety.
Many were helicoptered out of the remote districts of Manang and Mustang, where a typical trek would carry them over three weeks.
Communities in several parts of Nepal are mourning loved ones. Speaking from a damp, blue tent in Battar, a town north‑west of Kathmandu, Buti Tamang told BBC Nepali: “We used to live in a hut, but now there is nothing. We have lost so many of our relatives.”
“Now it is raining and the tent leaks, so we have been facing a difficult situation. We have nowhere to go,” added Ramesh Ghale, who also fled his home.
Several trekkers and their guides describe treacherous, collapsed paths that took up to three or four days to navigate. Some had to craft their own routes over collapsed roads and smashed bridges. One 21‑year‑old trekker, from Suffolk, said he had to forgo the highest point of the circuit because of heavy snowfall.
A local avalanche near the base of Himlung Peak has recovered four bodies and left 12 people missing, the deputy district officer said.
At the same time, a representative of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project said about 700 trekkers were still waiting in Pokhara to begin the circuit, but authorities have been holding them back due to safety concerns.
Road damage in Manang has been serious, with several bridges swept away and communications disrupted in some areas, but the chief district officer said there had been no deaths in the trekking region.
