Dozens of Israeli hikers have been caught in a series of landslides and avalanches in Nepal as torrential rain and extreme weather swept across the Himalayan country and northern India, killing at least 70 people.
Many of the Israelis were stranded in the remote mountain village of Samagaun over the weekend after landslides blocked roads and damaged bridges, while power was cut to the village, which lies at an altitude of around 3,500 metres in Nepal’s Manaslu region.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said its embassy in Kathmandu was working with local guides and tour operators to locate Israelis and help move them to safer areas where conditions permitted.
However, the rapidly changing weather made rescue operations difficult.
Nepal has been hit by further flooding and landslides only weeks after a flash flood in which more than 1,400 people were killed and thousands, including two Israelis, were reported missing.
Some of the Israelis sheltering in Samagaun described hearing landslides and rockfalls close to the village.
“Every few hours we hear a huge boom, as if the ground is totally collapsing,” one Israeli tourist told public broadcaster Kan.
Another told Ynet: “Our lives were saved by a miracle. We have no way to go back or move forward because bridges have collapsed and roads are blocked. There is a real danger to our lives, since any additional landslide could cause flooding and destroy the village.”
A third traveller said: “We hope to be evacuated from here before dark. I’m afraid a terrible disaster will happen. There are landslides here every few hours, right over our heads. There’s no need to wait for a disaster to happen.”
Israeli siblings Maya Lamdan, 27, and Nadav Lamdan, 21, were evacuated by helicopter from Samagaun on Sunday and flown to Kathmandu, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Travel insurance company PassportCard said it was assisting dozens of Israeli tourists in Nepal and that none were believed to be in life-threatening condition at the time of its assessment.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Israeli embassy in Nepal “is in contact with tour companies and local guides, and is working to locate Israelis who have not yet been reached, as well as to provide assistance, insofar as possible and subject to conditions on the ground, in efforts to move them to safe areas”.
The ministry also warned Israelis against trekking and mountaineering in the country while the dangerous conditions persisted, saying recent weather had caused road closures and widespread disruption to transport.
The UK government has similarly warned that areas affected by the August flooding and landslides may remain unstable, with further heavy rain capable of triggering additional landslides and rockfalls, particularly in mountainous regions.
Nepali authorities have again warned of the threat of flash flooding, with 49 of the country's 77 districts identified as potentially at risk as river levels rose.
The latest storms have also caused deaths elsewhere in the region. In northern India, at least 62 people had died in Uttar Pradesh following days of heavy rain and flooding, according to Associated Press reporting.
In Nepal's Manang district, meanwhile, an avalanche struck the base camp of Himlung Himal, a 7,126-metre peak, where Nepali workers and guides had been preparing for the climbing season.
The death toll from that avalanche rose to four on Monday, while 12 people remained missing, according to the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association.
Search teams were operating from the base camp by helicopter, although heavy snow and rain were making the operation hazardous.
The Israeli embassy in Kathmandu has continued to provide consular assistance and maintain contact with local authorities, tour companies and guides.
To get more news, click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.