A total of 10 climbers are missing on two Nepalese peaks, and searches are under way. On Tuesday, an avalanche wiped out Camp 3 at around 20,600 feet on 22,349-foot Ama Dablam, sweeping away six climbers from two teams. Two Swedes, a Briton, and three Nepalese Sherpa guides were lost. Searchers are combing the area by helicopter and foot, but only debris has been found. The avalanche is believed to have hit while the climbers were sleeping at the high camp on the well-traveled Southwest Ridge route, just below (but usually sheltered from) the “Dablam,” a hanging glacier.
Meanwhile, four French climbers are missing in the Ganesh Himal, north of Kathmandu. The four were attempting to climb 19,344-foot Paldor Peak in October and were due back in Kathmandu early last week. A helicopter has delivered searchers to their base camp, but no sign of them has yet been reported.
