Eight, out of nine, on expedition to Mt Gurja, found dead

Five South Korean nationals and four Nepalis had earlier reportedly reached the base camp. Among them, four Korean nationals and three Nepalis were on the mission to scale the peak. Dhaulagiri rural municipality-1 ward chair Jhak Bahadur Chhantyal confirmed the discovery of eight bodies from the site.

The deaths might be from snowstorm and an avalanche, he said. The bodies lie in a geographically difficult area and a helicopter carrying rescuers reached the site to pull out the bodies but failed to accomplish the task.

A seven-member expedition led by Kim Chung Ho on October 7 reached the base camp of Gurja Peak at an altitude of 7,193 meters. Later on 10, one more Nepali and a Korean national reached there to meet the team.

Since then, the team lost contact, he added. The second team was scheduled to return from the base camp after spending a day and it seemed that the tragedy happened on the same day as the team did not make a comeback. Further details are waited. The expedition that acquired a 60-day route permit from the Department of Tourism had planned to scale the mountain from its southern face.

The District Police Office’s Deputy Superintendent of Police, Bir Bahadur Budha Magar, also confirmed the deaths of eight on the Gurja base camp.