Nepalese authorities have launched an intensive search for two Italian climbers who went missing while attempting to summit the remote Panbari mountain, after severe weather linked to Cyclone Montha blanketed the region with heavy snow.
The climbers, Stefano Farronato and Alessandro Caputo, were part of a three-member expedition scaling the 6,887-metre (22,595-foot) peak in western Nepal when they lost contact on Saturday.
“They were stranded at Camp One due to heavy snowfall and have been out of communication since then,” said Himal Gautam, a senior official at Nepal’s tourism department, confirming that search efforts are ongoing.
The team leader, positioned at the base camp, was safely retrieved by helicopter on Sunday.
Cyclone Montha, which swept across Nepal last week, unleashed intense snowfall and rain, leaving trekkers trapped on several of the country’s most popular Himalayan routes.
According to Sagar Pandey, president of the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal, more than a thousand trekkers and tourists have been rescued since the extreme weather began on Tuesday.
“Helicopter missions were extremely challenging due to low visibility, but the weather has now improved,” Pandey said.
In Mustang district, Nepal Army teams spent three days trekking and digging through deep snow to reach a group of stranded hikers — three British nationals and 15 Nepali trekkers — on Friday.
Nepal, home to eight of the world’s ten highest peaks including Mount Everest, attracts hundreds of climbers each year.
However, autumn expeditions are generally less popular due to colder temperatures, deeper snow, and a much narrower window for summit attempts compared to the bustling spring season.
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