KATHMANDU: A team of trained mountain guides conducting a search and recovery mission on Yalung Ri Peak since November 5 said that they have not yet found any substantial evidence to locate the climbers buried in a massive avalanche on November 3.

“We have been searching for the missing climbers, but despite digging more than seven meters into the frozen snow, we haven’t found any significant clues so far,” senior IFMGA guide Pasang Kidar Sherpa just told The Tourism Times via satellite phone from the incident site.

“Snow and ice are extremely hard to dig through, and our detectors have not traced anything yet,” Sherpa said, adding that four rescuers are continuously searching for the five missing climbers — three foreigners and two Nepalis.

Search and recovery in progress. Photo Courtesy: Pasang Kidar Sherpa

After digging over seven meters at the avalanche site, the team has only recovered some pieces of equipment, including crampons. “Apart from that, no progress has been made so far to help us trace the buried climbers till this afternoon,” Sherpa added from above 5,300 meters on Yalung Ri Peak in the Rolwaling region.

The four-member Nepali rescue team, led by IFMGA/NNMGA guide Riten Jangbu Sherpa, includes IFMGA/NNMGA guides Pasang Kidar Sherpa and Chhiring Sonam Lama, along with aspirant guide Pasang Temba Sherpa. The team, which reached the incident site on November 5, is conducting search operations for the five missing climbers — Italian-Canadian Marco Di Marcello, Italian Markus Kirchler, German Jakob Schreiber, and Nepali guides Padam Tamang and Mere Karki.