Israelis trapped in Nepal village after Himalayan landslides

Dozens of Israeli trekkers have been stranded since Saturday night in the village of Samagaun, a remote stop on the popular Manaslu Circuit trek in the Nepalese Himalayas. Extreme weather and torrential rain triggered dangerous rockslides that have completely blocked all access roads to and from the isolated village.

The travellers, at an altitude of around 3,500 metres above sea level, describe a frightening reality. Power has been cut to the village, and overnight several mudslides and rockfalls came perilously close to the lodges where they are sheltering. Early this morning, after days of heavy rain, a deafening roar woke hundreds of trekkers and staff as a massive landslide tore down the slope directly above the village.

"Every few hours we hear this enormous boom, like the whole earth is collapsing," one of the Israeli trekkers told Kan News. Alongside the Israelis, the trapped village also holds foreign trekkers and many local residents. As of this morning no casualties have been reported in the village itself.

Rescue efforts face major obstacles

At this stage, options for leaving the area are limited to the point of impossible. The Israelis report that several of the main roads and bridges in the region have been washed away or are impassable, ruling out any safe overland exit.

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson said: "In recent days, Nepal has been hit by extreme weather, including heavy and continuous rain, which has led to road closures and travel disruptions in various parts of the country. A number of Israeli tourists are in mountainous areas where access is difficult."

The spokesperson added: "The Israeli embassy in Nepal is in contact with the tour companies and local guides, and is working to locate Israelis with whom contact has not yet been established and to assist, as far as possible and in accordance with field conditions, in efforts to move them to safe areas."

Regional disaster: dozens dead in Nepal and India

A deadly storm now battering the entire region. The heavy rains in Nepal have led to massive flooding and landslides that have swept away roads and bridges, claiming the lives of at least six people so far, while five others are listed as missing in several separate incidents across the country.

The destruction has not spared neighbouring India, where authorities in Uttar Pradesh report at least 15 dead and five injured over the past two days, alongside heavy damage to property and infrastructure.

The Himalayan region has seen increasingly extreme weather events in recent years. At the end of August this year, catastrophic floods struck Nepal and caused the deaths of more than 1,300 people, when a massive glacial collapse led to flash floods that obliterated entire structures and left thousands missing.

In June, authorities in Pakistan and in British Columbia, Canada, issued severe warnings of flash-flood danger, against the background of accelerating glacial melt and the formation of unstable lakes in mountainous areas.