Indian-origin climber, Sherpa guide killed in Manaslu avalanche
Indian-origin climber Dhrubajyoti Guha and his Nepalese guide Fursemba Sherpa, both 47, were killed in an overnight avalanche at Camp 3 on Mount Manaslu (8,163m), expedition organisers said on Sunday. Six other climbers turned back from Camp 2 as weather worsened, while the two continued towards the summit. Rescuers found them inside their tent under nearly seven feet of snow. The deaths take the autumn season toll on the peak to four.
Source
Times of India — Top · read the original report ↗
Desk check · compared with the source
What the desk checked (5)
- Dhrubajyoti Guha and Fursemba Sherpa, both 47, died in an overnight avalanche at Camp 3 on Manaslu (8,163m). — Attributed to expedition organisers; details appear consistently in source.
- Bodies were found buried under nearly seven feet of snow inside their tent by four Sherpa rescuers. — Direct quote attributed to Mohan Lamsal, managing director of Makalu Adventure.
- Six other climbers who retreated from Camp 2 are safe. — Quoted statement from Lamsal; no independent confirmation in source.
- Up to 60cm of snow was recorded at base camp between Friday evening and Sunday. — Figure appears in source without named attribution.
- Himalayan and Karakoram mountaineering deaths this year total at least 24, making 2026 one of the deadliest recent years. — No source given for the cumulative figure; year reference should be checked by the desk.
Analysts’ view opinion
This is first a mountaineering tragedy, but it carries a strategic dimension that should not be missed — the high Himalaya is now a crowded operating environment where hundreds of foreign climbers and local support staff depend on weather intelligence and rescue capacity for survival. The story notes a record 480 foreign climbers and over 500 Nepali guides and support staff on Manaslu this autumn: an economic resource for Nepal, and simultaneously a stress test of its crisis-management capability. The forecast warning that a system developing over the Bay of Bengal could affect the region underlines how central subcontinental weather monitoring has become to safety on these peaks.
- The organisers' account that six climbers turned back from Camp 2 while two pressed on raises the question of where decision authority and risk protocols should sit on 8,000m peaks.
- The inability to bring the bodies down because of weather shows that high-altitude rescue is governed by capability and weather windows, not willingness.
- The story's figure of at least 24 mountaineering deaths across the Himalaya and Karakoram this year points to a gap between the expansion of commercial climbing and the regulatory framework around it.
- The Sherpa guide who died had summited Everest nine times according to the story — a reminder that deep experience does not neutralise avalanche risk.
- Because the climber was an Indian-origin professional based in Germany, incidents like this pull consular coordination and repatriation processes across several jurisdictions.
What to watch — With forecasters having flagged another spell of bad weather around Wednesday, watch when recovery of the bodies becomes feasible and whether Nepali authorities respond on permits and risk rules for the remainder of the season.
The story does not establish what triggered the avalanche, why the two chose to continue, or whether any rule was breached — this is analysis, not the finding of any official inquiry.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 7 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
Mount Manaslu (8,163m), the world's eighth-highest peak in Nepal, is a popular autumn climbing objective and has drawn a record 480 foreign climbers this season. Heavy snowfall from Friday evening through Sunday, with up to 60cm at base camp, forced hundreds of climbers to retreat or wait at lower camps. Indian-origin climber Dhrubajyoti Guha, based near Frankfurt, and his Nepalese guide Fursemba Sherpa, both 47, pushed on to Camp 3 for an early summit attempt while six others turned back from Camp 2. An overnight avalanche buried their tent, and rescuers found both dead under nearly seven feet of snow.
Key facts
- Dhrubajyoti Guha and guide Fursemba Sherpa, both 47, were killed in an overnight avalanche at Camp 3 on Mount Manaslu (8,163m), the world's eighth-highest peak.
- Rescuers found the two buried inside their tent beneath nearly seven feet of snow; four Sherpa climbers were sent up after contact was lost.
- Expedition organiser Makalu Adventure's MD Mohan Lamsal said six other climbers who retreated from Camp 2 are safe; Guha and Sherpa headed for Camp III on Saturday evening.
- The alert came around 11.30am on Sunday after the two stopped responding overnight.
- Heavy snowfall began Friday evening and continued through Sunday, with up to 60cm recorded at base camp.
- Guha graduated in mechanical engineering from Bengal Engineering College, Shibpur (now IIEST Shibpur) in 2002, worked with ABB, IBM, Pfizer and Nestle, and had 32 UTMB World Series race finishes.
- Fursemba Sherpa was an NMA-registered guide from Nepal's Makalu region who had summited Everest nine times and also climbed Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, Cho Oyu and Manaslu.
- Manaslu drew a record 480 foreign climbers this autumn with more than 500 Nepali guides and support staff; Himalaya-Karakoram mountaineering deaths this year reached at least 24.
Timeline
- Sept 5Tashi Sherpa, 20, a Nepali high-altitude worker, found dead inside a tent at Manaslu base camp.
- Sept 17Singaporean climber Lau Wee Seng, 50, died at around 6,000m while descending from Camp 2 on Manaslu.
- Friday eveningHeavy snowfall began on Manaslu, continuing through Sunday with up to 60cm at base camp.
- SaturdaySome teams began ascending in anticipation of a favourable weather window from Monday; Guha and Fursemba Sherpa left for Camp III in the evening while six climbers retreated from Camp 2.
- Saturday nightContact with the two climbers was lost overnight after an avalanche struck Camp 3.
- Sunday, around 11.30amOrganisers alerted; four Sherpa climbers sent to Camp III and found both bodies under nearly seven feet of snow.
- Wednesday (forecast)Meteorologists warned of another spell of bad weather as a system developing over the Bay of Bengal was expected to affect the region.
Who has a stake
- Dhrubajyoti Guha (47), Indian-origin climber based near Frankfurt — Lost his life in the avalanche; an IIEST Shibpur alumnus and ultra-endurance trail runner with 32 UTMB World Series finishes.
- Fursemba Sherpa (47), NMA-registered guide from Makalu region — Lost his life; a nine-time Everest summiteer, representing the risks borne by Nepali high-altitude workers.
- Makalu Adventure and MD Mohan Lamsal — Expedition organiser responsible for the rescue effort and for recovering the bodies once weather improves.
- Six climbers who retreated from Camp 2 — Reported safe after abandoning the summit push amid worsening weather.
- Rescue team of four Sherpa climbers — Dug out the bodies but were ordered to descend due to continuing snowfall and avalanche risk.
- Hundreds of climbers on Manaslu this autumn — Forced to retreat or remain at lower camps by the snowfall, with another bad-weather spell forecast.
Why it matters
The deaths take Manaslu's autumn toll to four and push reported mountaineering deaths across the Himalayas and Karakoram this year to at least 24, among the deadliest in recent years. With a record 480 foreign climbers and over 500 Nepali guides and support staff on one peak this season, crowding, narrow weather windows and pressure to attempt summits raise hard questions about risk management on 8,000m peaks. It also underlines the disproportionate danger faced by Nepali guides who make commercial expeditions possible.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- Mount Manaslu is 8,163m high and is the world's eighth-highest peak, located in Nepal.
- Manaslu recorded a record 480 foreign climbers this autumn, with more than 500 Nepali guides and support staff.
- Fursemba Sherpa was registered with the NMA (Nepal Mountaineering Association) and had summited Everest nine times.
- Bengal Engineering College, Shibpur is now IIEST Shibpur; Guha graduated in mechanical engineering there in 2002.
- At least 24 mountaineering deaths were reported across the Himalayas and Karakoram this year.
- A weather system developing over the Bay of Bengal was forecast to bring bad weather to the region around Wednesday.
Mains framing
The Manaslu avalanche deaths illustrate how commercial high-altitude mountaineering concentrates risk: a record 480 foreign climbers and over 500 Nepali support staff on a single 8,163m peak, all competing for the same narrow weather windows. When heavy snowfall began on Friday evening and dumped up to 60cm at base camp, six climbers judged the risk unacceptable and retreated from Camp 2, while two chose an early summit push to Camp 3 and were buried in their tent under nearly seven feet of snow. The episode points to structural issues: fatal decision-making under summit pressure, dependence on short forecast windows shaped by systems such as the one developing over the Bay of Bengal, and the exposure of Nepali high-altitude workers, two of whom are among the four autumn fatalities on this peak. Recovery itself was suspended because continuing snowfall and avalanche risk made it unsafe for the rescue team to remain. A way forward, consistent with the facts here, lies in tighter weather-window discipline and permit sequencing, better avalanche-risk communication at higher camps, and stronger protection and insurance frameworks for guides and support staff, since at least 24 deaths have been reported across the Himalayas and Karakoram this year.
Key terms
- Manaslu
- An 8,163m mountain in Nepal, the world's eighth-highest peak, popular with autumn expeditions.
- Camp 2 / Camp 3
- Intermediate high-altitude camps on the route to a summit; the avalanche struck the climbers' tent at Camp 3.
- NMA
- Nepal Mountaineering Association, with which guide Fursemba Sherpa was registered.
- UTMB World Series
- A global ultra-endurance trail running race series; Guha had 32 finishes, several over 100km.
- IIEST Shibpur
- The present name of Bengal Engineering College, Shibpur, where Guha took his mechanical engineering degree in 2002.
- Weather window
- A short spell of favourable conditions used for summit attempts; a window was expected from Monday, with bad weather again around Wednesday.
Practice questions
- Discuss the safety and regulatory challenges posed by the commercialisation of high-altitude mountaineering in the Himalayas, with reference to the 2026 Manaslu season.
- Nepali guides and high-altitude workers bear a disproportionate share of mountaineering risk. Examine this statement and suggest protective measures.
- How do short weather windows and monsoon-linked systems over the Bay of Bengal shape risk in Himalayan expeditions? Explain with recent examples.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.