7 Dead Following Avalanche on Mountain in Nepal: Reports

At least seven people have died and four people are still missing after an avalanche on Mount Yalung Ri in Nepal.

Nepali officials confirmed on Monday, Nov. 3, that the avalanche killed five foreign climbers and two Nepali guides, according to ABC News. The avalanche ravaged the base camp, which is located at an altitude of 4,900 meters, or 16,070 feet. Mount Yalung Ri reaches a 5,600-meter, or, 18,370-foot, height.

Four other individuals were injured in the avalanche, Armed Police Force spokesperson Shailendra Thapa told ABC News.

Three of the hikers are reportedly American citizens, according to NBC News. The State Department told the outlet that it is “aware of media reports of U.S. citizen deaths in Monday’s avalanche,” but is “still working to gather further information,” the outlet reports.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and stand ready to provide consular assistance,” a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department told NBC News. “We extend our deepest condolences to the families of all those affected.”

The group of 15 people total intended to climb Yalung Ri at approximately 8:30 a.m. local time when the avalanche occurred, according to multiple reports.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Armed Police Force for comment.

The victims have not yet been publicly identified. Rescuers were forced to reach the site on foot after severe weather prevented a helicopter from accessing the area, CNN reports.

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The helicopter was eventually able to reach the nearby Na Village to the east of the mountain, per NBC News, but Alan Arnette, a mountaineering expert from Colorado who has climbed Mount Everest, told the outlet that the weather delay “almost eliminates any chance of finding anybody for rescue.”

“So it turned into a recovery operation, and the No. 1 rule of recovery is for the rescuers not to become the victims,” Arnette said. “They must go very carefully and very slowly, take care of the injured first, evacuate them out by helicopter when it’s safe and then look for the bodies, if possible.”