West Bengal mountaineer Dhrubajyoti Guha died in a devastating avalanche on Mount Manaslu in Nepal where he was on his way to the summit of one of the world’s highest peaks. Guha, a resident of Krishnanagar in Nadia district, was heading to Camp-3 when an avalanche struck down. His Sherpa guide Fursemba Sherpa also died in the accident.
Guha had come to Nepal on a trip to Mount Manaslu, which is 8,163 metres high and is the world’s 8th highest mountain. It was part of his mountaineering journey and his aim to scale one of the most difficult peaks in the Himalayas. However, the weather deteriorated and snowfall became bad at higher elevations.
According to Nepalese media, many mountaineers who were in the higher camps of Manaslu had started to fall as the weather worsened. Guha and Fursemba were also heading towards Camp-3 when the avalanche happened. The two were in a tent when the avalanche swept over the area and buried the shelter.
We lost contact with the two climbers. Later on, rescue workers reached Camp-3 and found the bodies of Guha and Fursemba in the snow-covered tent. The tent was buried under approximately 7 feet of fresh snow, making the rescue operation particularly challenging.
The news of Guha's death has cast a pall of gloom over his hometown of Krishnanagar. The mountaineer hailed from the Shashthitala area of Nadia district town and had been passionate about climbing and had been on the Manaslu expedition to try for the summit at its summit.
Guha and Fursemba had reached Camp-3 before the tragedy happened, expedition organisers confirmed. Their deaths occurred as climbers were waiting for a suitable weather window to attempt their summit. The bodies were recovered in the next few days and preparations were started to get them down to the base camp.
The latest incident has added to the safety issues in Manaslu during the current climbing season. The mountain has already seen some deaths- two climbers have died, one Singaporean mountaineer and one local porter in the previous season. Avalanche activity in the higher part of the mountain has also affected expedition operations, including the establishment and repair of ropes on the way to the summit.
Mount Manaslu is located in Nepal’s Gorkha district and is known for its technically demanding terrain, steep slopes and unpredictable Himalayan weather. Although the climbing season is one that draws mountaineers from around the world to Everest, at high altitude, changing conditions could quickly turn an expedition into a life-threatening one.
Guha went on to have a long-standing passion for mountaineering and wanted to achieve a major Himalayan summit. The avalanche at Camp-3 ended the trip with tragic consequences. The loss of his Sherpa guide Fursemba also has shown the dangers to both international climbers and the local mountain people who undertake high-altitude expeditions.
As efforts continued for getting the bodies from the mountain, Guha’s death left his family, friends and the Krishnanagar community mourning the loss of a local mountaineer who had gone into the Himalayas in pursuit of an ambitious dream.
