KATHMANDU, Nepal â Indian-origin climber Dhrubajyoti Guha and experienced Nepalese guide Fursemba Sherpa have died after an avalanche buried their tent at Camp III on Mount Manaslu, raising the mountainâs reported September death toll to four.
Guha, an Indian-origin climber based in Germany, and Sherpa were both 47. Expedition organisers said rescuers found them beneath approximately seven feet of snow on Sunday, September 20, after the pair stopped responding to calls from their team.
The deaths followed several days of unstable conditions on Manaslu, where heavy snowfall forced hundreds of climbers to abandon higher camps shortly before an anticipated summit window.
Climbers continued as six others turned back
Guha and Sherpa were part of a group that had reached Camp II as the weather deteriorated on Saturday evening. Six climbers decided to retreat, while the two men continued towards Camp III in preparation for an early summit attempt.
Mohan Lamsal, managing director of expedition organiser Makalu Adventure, said the team became concerned after losing contact with them overnight.
âWe were alerted around 11.30am on Sunday after they stopped responding,â Lamsal said, according to reports carried by Firstpost.
Four Sherpa climbers were sent to Camp III to search for the missing pair. The rescuers dug through the accumulated snow and discovered both men inside their buried tent.
Continuing snowfall and warnings of further avalanches prevented the search team from immediately bringing the bodies down. Recovery and helicopter transport to Kathmandu were being arranged once conditions became safe enough for teams to operate.
Up to 60 centimetres of snow reportedly accumulated at base camp between Friday and Sunday. Climbers staying at Camps II and III were instructed to retreat or remain at lower elevations as the avalanche danger increased.
The Himalayan Times reported that the incident occurred as some teams began moving upwards ahead of a forecast weather window between September 21 and 23.
Guha was an experienced ultra-endurance runner as well as a mountaineer. He reportedly lived near Frankfurt and graduated in mechanical engineering from Bengal Engineering College, Shibpur, now known as IIEST Shibpur, in 2002.
His professional career included roles with ABB, IBM, Pfizer and NestlĂŠ. Away from his corporate work, he had completed 32 UTMB World Series events, including several races covering more than 100 kilometres.
Fursemba Sherpa was an NMA-registered mountain guide from Nepalâs Makalu region. Reports credit him with nine Everest summits and previous ascents of Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, Cho Oyu and Manaslu.
References to Makalu in early reports relate to Sherpaâs home region and the name of the expedition company. The fatal avalanche occurred on Mount Manaslu, not Mount Makalu.
Four deaths and two avalanches on Manaslu this month
The latest deaths brought the reported toll on Manaslu to four during Septemberâs autumn climbing season.
On September 5, 20-year-old expedition worker Tashi Sherpa was found dead inside a base-camp tent where a generator had been placed. Preliminary reports raised the possibility of suffocation, although an official cause was not immediately established. He had been carrying supplies and helping with kitchen work for Pioneer Adventure.
More details about the circumstances surrounding the death of Tashi Sherpa at Manaslu Base Camp were previously released by his expedition company and local authorities.
Singaporean climber Lau Wee Seng, 50, then died on September 17 while descending from Camp II during an acclimatisation rotation. He reportedly became unwell at approximately 6,000 metres and died while resting despite assistance from other climbers and a doctor.
A heart attack was initially suspected, but official confirmation of Lauâs cause of death had not been announced.
Another avalanche struck above Camp III on September 16, sweeping away approximately 1,200 metres of fixed rope and equipment. The rope-fixing team had already returned to Camp III, and no injuries were reported.
Nine rope-fixing climbers subsequently reached Manasluâs 8,163-metre summit at approximately 9:25 p.m. on September 17, formally opening the route for autumn expeditions.
Approximately 480 foreign climbers and more than 500 Nepalese guides and support workers were reported to be participating in the season. The combination of fresh snow, avalanche danger and a short weather window has also raised concerns that large numbers of climbers could attempt to move through the route at the same time.
Manaslu is the worldâs eighth-highest mountain. The unfolding tragedy comes weeks after another major Himalayan climbing disaster, in which Nirmal Purja and nine other climbers were killed in the Broad Peak avalanche in Pakistan.
Expedition operators are continuing to assess conditions on Manaslu before allowing further summit attempts. The causes of the individual deaths remain subject to official findings, while unstable snow continues to complicate movement and recovery work at the higher camps.
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