International Desk, 7 May: As many as three people were killed and nine others were injured in an avalanche in Nepal’s Karnali province, a media report said on Sunday. According to reports, the tragedy occurred early on Saturday morning in the Mugu district of the province’s Chyarkhu pass. Reportedly, 15 individuals travelled to Mugu in search of yarsagumba, a caterpillar fungus but they were buried under an avalanche.
“So far in the incident a total of three people have died and nine others have got injured. A team of police personnel moved to the incident site,” a report said.
Despite the fact that the local authorities did not permit the pickers to the location before May 18, hundreds of individuals have travelled to the highlands in the Mugu district to collect caterpillar fungus.
According to Mohan Bahadur Thapa, Chief District Officer of Mugu the most distant district in Nepal, a team of security men was dispatched to assist in the rescue effort but they were hampered by snowfall.
Avalanches were believed to have buried at least eight persons on May 2 in the Darchula area of far-western Nepal. According to reports, police and an Armed Police Force squad were sent to Darchula to conduct the rescue efforts. The missing people’s identities remain unknown. However, they are believed to be yarsagumba collectors. Local sources suggested that around 8-9 people who had gone in search of caterpillar fungus were sheltering in a tent when the avalanche occurred.