2025 Nepal snowstorm disaster

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2025 Nepal snowstorm disaster
South aspect of Panbari (6,905m) in Himalaya of Nepal.
Native name २०२५ को नेपालको हिम आँधी विपत्ति
Date1 November 2025 (2025-11-01)
LocationPanbari and Dolma Khang, Dolakha District Nepal
CauseCyclone Montha
Deaths9 deaths
Non-fatal injuries6
Missing5

The 2025 Nepal snowstorm disaster occurred in Nepal on 1-3 November 2025 and resulted in the deaths of at least 9 people of various nationalities. Injuries and fatalities resulted from severe snowstorms and avalanches on and around the mountains of Panbari, in Gandaki Pradesh and at the base camp of Yalung Ri, Dolakha District in the Himalayan Range.[1][2][3][4]

Events

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On 1 November 2025, a snowstorm and series of avalanches occurred on and around Panbari, in Gandaki Pradesh and Yalung Ri, Dolakha District, Nepal in the Himalaya range.[5] The first expedition, called Panbari Q7, departed on 7 October 2025 and consisted of three Italians: Valter Perlino, Alessandro Caputo and Stefano Farronato, and its objective was to climb Mount Panbari. Valter Perlino, who had remained at the base camp, called for help, but unfortunately Alessandro Caputo and Stefano Farronato died during the climb. Alessandro Caputo and Stefano Farronato[6] had taken refuge at high altitude, at camp 1, inside a tent that had been destroyed by the snowstorm. Panbari is a little-known and rarely visited mountain that was first climbed only in 2006.

Yalung Ri (5,630 m) on 7 November 2024

The second expedition consisted of at least 15 people, 5 foreign climbers and 10 Nepali high-altitude workers and initially aimed to climb Dolma Kang (6,334 metres).[7] But before attempting to climb this peak, they had planned to climb Yalung Ri (5,630 metres) as part of their acclimatization program. On 3 November 2025, they were at Yalung Ri's base camp when a massive avalanche buried them under a layer of snow and rock at least 6 meters deep.

The Yalung Ri Base Camp was located at approximately 4,900 meters, that was accessed from the village of Na Gaon, which is approximately 4,180 meters. From Na Gaon, climbers undertakes a steep, four-hour climb to reach base camp at 4,900 meters. This altitude allowed climbers to acclimatize to the high altitudes and prepare for their attempt to reach the summit, which reaches 5,630 meters. Other expeditions were likely at this same base camp when the avalanche struck, but the exact number of foreign climbers and Nepalese workers involved is still unknown.

The second expedition, called "Dolma Khang – The Mountain of Light"[8] consisted of Italians Marco Di Marcello and Paolo Cocco, both from Abruzzo, and South Tyrolean Markus Kirchler, as well as German Jakob Schreiber and others.[9]

Other expeditions at base camp included French Isabelle Solange Thaon and her husband Christian Andre Manfredi, Didier Armand, and others.[10][11]

Paolo Cocco was almost at the summit of Yalung Ri when he was hit by the massive avalanche, and was found dead by rescuers.[9] From the base camp where the avalanche occurred, they also recovered the body of Christian Andre Manfredi, who, as his wife reported, died from the rocks and snow that hit his head.[12][13]

While the other two Italians, Marco Di Marcello and Markus Kirchler, and the German Jakob Schreiber and two Nepalese guides Mere Karki and Padam Tamang are considered missing even if they are presumed to have been hit by the avalanche and died. The avalanche covered everything in base camp to a height of at least 6 meters. For this reason, on November 7, 2025, rescuers declared the search ended. The avalanche snow had compacted and become hard, making it difficult to excavate. The safety of rescuers is also put at risk by adverse environmental conditions. The search for the missing will resume in the summer months of July and August, if possible.[14][15]

On 4 November 2025, Marco Di Marcello's GPS signal continued to update his location, according to the data reported by the family.[16]

Rescue

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Helicopter rescue operations were severely delayed due to both adverse weather conditions and bureaucratic authorizations. The survivors waited several hours for rescue. Valter Perlino was rescued at the base camp of Mount Panbari.

Rescuers at Yalung Ri base camp rescued survivors Isabelle Solange Thaon, Didier Armand, and three Nepalese guides, and recovered the bodies of Paolo Cocco and Christian Andre Manfredi, Isabelle Solange Thaon's husband. All were flown by helicopter to the Era Hospital in Kathmandu.

Aftermath

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On 5 November 2025, Riccardo Dalla Costa, Consul General of Italy in Kolkata, responsible for Nepal, went to Kathmandu for coordination with the Nepalese authorities and with the search groups for missing Italian climbers. The deaths of three Italians, Alessandro Caputo, Stefano Farronato, and Paolo Cocco, have been confirmed.[17] On November 6, 2025, five more missing Italian climbers, who had not been heard from for days, were found alive and in good condition.[18] On 8 November 2025, these five missing Italians returned safe to Kathmandu.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "7 climbers including 5 foreigners killed in Yalung Ri avalanche". kathmandupost.com. kathmandupost.com. 3 November 2025. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  2. ^ "Tragedia in Nepal, morti cinque alpinisti italiani: nove le vittime in due incidenti nella regione dell'Himalaya". tgcom24.mediaset.it. tgcom24.mediaset.it. 4 November 2025. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  3. ^ "Foreign climbers and Nepali guides among 7 killed in avalanche on Nepal mountain". cnn.com. edition.cnn.com. 6 November 2025. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  4. ^ "Seven Italian climbers still missing in Nepal". bbc.com. bbc.com. 6 November 2025. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  5. ^ "7 Climbers Are Killed After Avalanche Hits Base Camp in Himalayas". nytimes.com/. nytimes.com/. 3 November 2025. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  6. ^ "Stefano Farronato disperso in Nepal: dai ghiacci a -50 gradi all'impresa estrema sulla calotta glaciale. Chi era". ilgazzettino.it. ilgazzettino.it. 3 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  7. ^ "Nepal battles snow and wind to reach survivors after seven climbers killed in Himalayan avalanche". independent.co.uk. independent.co.uk. 4 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  8. ^ "Tragedia in Nepal, il fratello di Paolo Cocco: «Voleva salire sempre più in alto, viveva per questo»". ilmessaggero.it. ilmessaggero.it. 5 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Media Nepal, 'tre italiani tra le sette vittime a Yalung Ri'". ansa.it. ansa.it. 4 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  10. ^ "Rescuers in Nepal searching for bodies of seven climbers killed in Mount Yalung Ri avalanche". sky.com. news.sky.com. 4 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  11. ^ "Valanga in Nepal, una sopravvissuta: "Siamo stati fortunati"". ilsole24ore.com. stream24.ilsole24ore.com. 4 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  12. ^ "Nepal, soccorritori recuperano il corpo di Paolo Cocco e di un escursionista francese". iltirreno.it. iltirreno.it. 5 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  13. ^ "Parla una sopravvissuta alla valanga in Nepal: «La slavina ci ha colti alla sprovvista, io mi sono salvata ma mio marito è morto»". corriere.it. video.corriere.it. 4 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  14. ^ "Yalung Ri avalanche: Search ended, five climbers remain buried beneath ice". thehimalayantimes.com. thehimalayantimes.com. 7 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  15. ^ "I soccorritori: 'Neve troppo compatta, sospese le ricerche degli alpinisti dispersi in Nepal'". ansa.it. ansa.it. 7 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  16. ^ "GPS of climber missing in Nepal still moving". ansa.it. ansa.it. 4 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  17. ^ "Nepal: Console Generale a Calcutta arrivato a Kathmandu. 3 connazionali dichiarati deceduti, proseguono le ricerche degli altri italiani". esteri.it. Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  18. ^ "Nepal – Stabilito contatto con 5 connazionali impegnati in un trekking". esteri.it. Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 7 November 2025.