Two unrelated mountaineering accidents in Nepal have left nine people dead, including five Italians. A sudden snowstorm and a devastating avalanche struck separate expeditions across the Himalayan region.
Authorities confirmed the deaths of Alessandro Caputo and Stefano Farronato, who were attempting to climb Mount Panbari (6,887 m). The two lost contact on October 31 while at Camp 1 (about 5,000 m). Italy’s Foreign Ministry later confirmed their deaths through Nepalese officials.
The other Italian victims — Paolo Cocco, Marco Di Marcello, and Markus Kirchler — were caught in an avalanche on Dolma Khang, along with German climber Jacob Schreiber, Frenchman Christian Andre Manfredi, and Nepalese guides Padam Tamang and Mere Karki.
According to Phurba Tenjing Sherpa, from expedition organizer Dreamers Destination, the avalanche hit the Yalung Ri base camp at 5,630 m in central Nepal. “We waited 24 hours for rescue,” one survivor said.
In total, seven people died — three Italians, two Nepalese, one German, and one French climber — while four survivors were airlifted to Kathmandu.
Among the victims, Paolo Cocco, a photographer and former deputy mayor of Fara San Martino, was remembered by his town’s mayor as “a man deeply attached to his land.” The body of Marco Di Marcello, a 37-year-old biologist from Teramo, was recovered after hours of searching.