The hour is ticking and hope is reduced.

The chances of finding alive three young French climbers, missing in Nepal since October 26 after an avalanche in the Everest region, dwindled on Monday after hours of research marked by the sole discovery of material.

"The hope of finding survivors is now almost nil," said the French Federation of Alpine and Mountain Clubs (FFCAM) ​​on Monday morning in a statement, while the search launched on Sunday had just resumed near the summit of Mount Mingbo Eiger, at an altitude of 6,070 meters.

The federation dispatched a helicopter reconnaissance over the avalanche flow on Sunday, in support of research carried out on the ground by a team of five experienced rescuers from the Nepalese national association of mountain guides.

A U-turn at 5,900 meters

In their twenties, Louis Pachoud, Gabriel Miloche and Thomas Arfi, had started to climb a chute on the left of the west face of Mingbo Eiger, the satellite summit of Kangtega located in the Khumbu region and Everest south of Ama Dablam (6,814 m).

The three belong to the National Alpinism Excellence Group (GEAN), an elite formation of the FFCAM.

The overflights made it possible "to locate their tracks up to 5,900 meters on the ridge which leads to the summit" where the rescuers noted "the outbreak of an avalanche", specified the FFCAM.

These same traces show that they “gave up going to the top, turned around and started their descent by their ascent route”.

At the foot of the face, the rescuers found "three bags, as well as the equipment of the bivouac", according to the FFCAM.

Spotted material

"Something like a bag or a black object has been spotted on the side of the mountain," said Pratap Jung Pandey, general manager of Kailash Helicopter Service, a Nepalese company specializing in emergency aerial evacuation.

“So far, we haven't made any progress.

We then returned to Lukla ”, the usual crossing point for tourists visiting the Himalayas, and in particular Everest, for his part indicated Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, from the rescue team of the national association of guides. mountain range of Nepal.

“The weather hasn't been that good.

We will be back there tomorrow to pick them up, ”he said.

The president of this association, Ang Norbu Sherpa, now in charge of operations, was on his way to the region on Monday.

A local police liaison officer was also dispatched to assess the situation.

"Enthusiastic SMS"

The three missing are part of a group that arrived at the end of September in the Khumbu region (Everest region), to climb several peaks between 5 and 6,000 meters above sea level, south of Ama Dablam (6,814 m).

Left on October 24, the three young Frenchmen had started their ascent on the 26th after having carried out a day of spotting the face.

“At 5:11 pm, they send an enthusiastic SMS from their bivouac in the face via their satellite phone to the other part of the group.

This message will be their last communication ”, detailed the FFCAM.

"Hard hit" by this disappearance, the other five members of the GEAN team will be "repatriated to France within a few days", according to the same source.

No authorization for the ascent?

An official from the Nepalese tourism ministry claimed that these climbers did not request the necessary authorization for this ascent, a claim rejected by Pralhad Chapagain of Holiday Himalaya Trek and Expedition, the agency in charge of the expedition.

Since its creation in 1991, GEAN has trained several generations of French mountaineers.

The events come as Nepal reopened to tourists in September, exempting those who are vaccinated from quarantine.

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced this small country of 30 million inhabitants to completely shut down its mountain industry, which has plagued its economy, which is very dependent on tourism.

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Nepal: three French climbers missing after an avalanche

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