2014 Snowstorm Disaster At Thorungla

The snowstorm disaster of 2014 in the Thorung-La remains a strong warning to all the trekkers to be very well prepared and not to take the Himalayas lightly. On October 14, 2014, Thorung-La was hit with the worst trekking disaster the country has ever seen that resulted in deaths of at least 43 individuals of different nationalities. Nearly 400 trekkers and guides were rescued with many survivors ending up with severe frostbites. The snowstorm was the result of the Hudhud cyclone that originated in the Andaman sea. The effects of it were seen in Uttar Pradesh of India and in the Himalayas of Nepal. India received heavy rainfalls and Nepal received heavy snowfalls. It was reported that there was 1.8m (5.9 ft) snowfall in just 12 hours. The weather forecast had already predicted 2 days in advance about a possible storm in the region but in Upper Manang but due to the lack of communication infrastructure, very few people knew about the scale of the thing that was about to hit them. Trekkers were stranded in the Thorung pass and it was in this region many lost their lives. This is the reason you need to be updated with weather forecasts right from Manang; make the best use of cellular networks while you have them. A lot of trekkers come completely unprepared and end up in news headlines which we think is very uncool.