Yasmina Kattou, edited by Manon Fossat 2:05 p.m., November 01, 2021

The three French climbers who disappeared this weekend in an avalanche not far from Mount Everest in Nepal have still not been found by rescuers.

But we now know a little more about the circumstances of this accident which took these experienced climbers by surprise.

Update on the latest information. 

The mountain world is holding its breath as three French climbers disappeared over the weekend after an avalanche hit their location not far from Mount Everest, Nepal.

Rescuers found their tents and mountaineering equipment on Sunday morning on the face of the Ama Dablam summit they were trying to climb.

According to the latest information, these three climbers are not amateurs, but high level climbers.

Research in the area resumed on Monday morning.

"An avalanche that swept away everything in its path"

A team of rescuers was indeed dropped off by helicopter at the scene of the avalanche, because it is probably under this hard and very compact snow deposit that the climbers are located.

The circumstances of this dramatic accident are starting to become clearer, as explained by Nicolas Raynaud, president of the French Federation of Alpine and Mountain Clubs (FFCAM).

"We know that they climbed approximately up to 5,900 meters in altitude so they were close to the summit which is just over 6,000 meters", he explains.

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"We see traces up to a certain place where, obviously, they have installed an abseil to descend. And this is where we lose their trace and where we observe that there is a break with a avalanche which swept away everything in its path, "he continues.

Seasoned climbers

These climbers are experienced and were not at all on their first expedition, says the president of the Federation.

The three climbers from Isère belong to the Groupe excellence alpinisme national (GEAN), an elite French group.

But this accident was impossible to avoid, recalls Nicolas Raynaud.

"The three missing are really experienced people, prepared for this kind of expedition and for this kind of ascent. And despite that, we know, there is always a part of the hazard. This part strikes us hard. whip."

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The search to try to find them will last several more days.

But the chances of finding them surviving are almost nil.