BENI: At least nine guides and porters were caught up in an avalanche and were later rescued from the Base Camp of the Dhaulagiri Mountain in Myagdi district.

The guides and porters who met with the disaster are identified as Maikal Pariyar, Kiran Pariyar, Santosh Tamang, Dhanram Tamang, Buddhi, Prakash, Kumar, Bir Bahadur and Sukalal Pariyar were rescued on a helicopter to Takam, said Maikal.

Four guides were rescued and airlifted to Pokhara, he said. Rescue efforts got delayed due to rain and snowfall, said tourism entrepreneur Indra Singh Sherchan.

Similarly, at least 45 mules were killed in the disaster. The mules killed were deployed to carry belongings and necessary equipment belonging to the mountaineers. Out of them, 17 belonged to Thamserku Trekking Company, and 28 to Shangri-la Trekking Company.

“On October 3, we lost our contact with our other colleagues following the avalanche while returning after reaching the Base Camp. We took a shelter at Thati and starved for four days. The mules starved to death,” he said.