Indian-origin climber Dhrubajyoti Guha (47) and his Nepali climbing guide Phursemba Sherpa (47) have lost their lives after an avalanche buried their tent at Camp III of Mt Manaslu (8,163 m) in Nepal.
The accident occurred overnight on Saturday, September 19, amid deteriorating weather and heavy snowfall on the world's eighth-highest mountain.
Dream Wanderlust spoke to Makalu Adventure, the handling agency of the expedition, which confirmed the deaths and provided details of the incident.
According to the agency, Guha and Phursemba had moved higher from Camp II towards Camp III ahead of their planned summit attempt. Other members of the expedition had decided not to continue higher amid the worsening weather conditions. During the night, an avalanche struck Camp III and buried the tent the two climbers occupied. After communication with Guha and Phursemba was lost, a Sherpa team was sent to Camp III on 20 September to search for them. The rescuers eventually located the tent beneath several feet of snow and found both climbers dead.
Speaking to Dream Wanderlust, the handling agency said the bodies had been located and that arrangements were being made for their evacuation once weather conditions permitted a safe helicopter operation.
Guha, 47, was an Indian-origin climber based in Germany and an accomplished ultra-endurance trail runner. He graduated in mechanical engineering from Bengal Engineering College, Shibpur, now IIEST Shibpur.
The accident occurred during a period of difficult weather on Manaslu, with heavy snowfall and strong winds forcing many climbers to retreat from the higher camps.
The deaths of Guha and Phursemba take the reported death toll on Manaslu during the current autumn climbing season to four.
Recovery efforts remain dependent on weather and conditions on the mountain.
