South Koreans among 7 missing in Himalayan avalanche

KATHMANDU, Nepal - Four South Koreans and three Nepalis are missing and about 200 people have been rescued after an avalanche hit trekkers on the Annapurna region in the Himalayas, officials said Saturday.

South Korea was to send an emergency team to Nepal to help in a desperate search operation.

The incident occurred at an altitude of about 3,230 meters (10,600 feet) close to Annapurna base camp following heavy snowfall on Friday.

Six of the missing are from one trekking expedition while one Nepali porter is from a different group.

"A search operation is underway for the seven out of contact," Mira Acharya of Nepal's tourism department told AFP.

About 200 people have been rescued from the avalanche-hit zone as well as other trekking routes after the weather eased to let helicopters fly in.

The four were part of an 11-member team from South Korea. Others from the team are safe.

Ang Dorjee Sherpa of the Korean Alpine Federation said it had been snowing in the area since the last two days, making their trek risky.

"The weather and snow got worse and, feeling it was becoming dangerous and difficult, they decided to turn. As they were heading back they were hit by an avalanche," Sherpa said.

Annapurna is an avalanche-prone and technically difficult mountain with a higher death rate than Everest, the world's highest peak.

Kim Sung-hwa, a South Korean trekker in Kathmandu after a trek in the Langtang region in eastern Nepal said he had to cut his trip short after abnormally heavy snow.

"Winter is a dry season (in Nepal) and you don't (normally) see a lot of snow. But due to abnormal weather conditions... even here, when we went to Langtang, there was a heavy snow and rain," Kim said.

"I heard the news this morning and as a trekker and a fellow (South Korean) citizen who like and love Nepal, I feel heart-stricken."

Education officials in South Korea said the four South Koreans were part of a team of volunteer teachers working with children in Nepal.

South Korea's foreign ministry said an emergency team would be sent to Nepal and that the families of those missing had been informed. The volunteers were from Chungcheong province.

Thousands of trekkers visit the Annapurna region every year for its stunning views of the Himalayas.

In 2014, a snowstorm killed about 40 people on the popular circuit, in one of the biggest trekking tragedies to hit Nepal.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

7 students, one teacher killed in Japan avalanche

TOKYO - An avalanche Monday killed seven Japanese high school students and a teacher on a mountain-climbing outing, and injured 40 more.

More than 100 troops were deployed in a major rescue mission after the avalanche hit ski slopes in Tochigi prefecture north of Tokyo. Television footage showed rescuers climbing the mountainside as ambulances stood by.

A total of 52 students and 11 teachers from seven high schools were on a three-day mountaineering expedition when disaster struck.

A warning had been issued for heavy snow and possible avalanches from Sunday until Monday in the area, with the local weather agency forecasting snowfall of some 30 centimeters (about 12 inches).

In the latest update seven students and one teacher, mostly from Otawara High School in Tochigi, were found with no vital signs, an official with a prefectural disaster task force told AFP.

In Japan, deaths in such circumstances are not announced officially until doctors can confirm them.

Officials earlier said eight students had no vital signs.

Some 40 people have been injured, including two students in serious condition, the prefectural official said.

"All the people have been carried down from the mountain and they are now being transported to hospital," he told AFP.

The avalanche struck in the town of Nasu 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Tokyo on the final day of the excursion, Tochigi authorities said, adding that soldiers were brought in at the request of the prefecture's governor.

Local media cited experts as saying it was likely a surface avalanche, caused by a heavy snowfall accumulating on a previous deposit of slippery snow.

"This (outing) is an annual event and we never had a major accident before," one of the teachers told Jiji Press. "I am really shocked."

The ski resort had been closed for the season, according to the operator's website, with the lift stopped and no skiers at the site.

But some of its facilities were made available for the high school mountaineering trip organised by local physical education authorities.

source: news.abs-cbn.com