Trekkers in the Himalayas filmed the dramatic moment a giant wall of snow and ice hurtled towards them at breakneck speed. The massive avalanche ripped through the North Annapurna Base Camp on October 26, sweeping away tents and equipment.
Mountaineers and their guides can be seen fleeing for their lives as the white wall of destruction descends from 4,100 metres above them. Within seconds, visibility drops to zero as the avalanche engulfs the camp in its entirety. Miraculously, no one was injured or killed in the terrifying incident, with all surviving to tell the tale.
“It was like watching a storm fall from the sky,” one witness said.
Another recalled: “We could feel the pressure hit us before we even saw the snow.”
Annapurna 1 has a reputation for being one of the deadliest mountains to climb in the Himalayas.
Unpredictable weather conditions, regular avalanches and difficult climbing terrain make the mountain one of the most challenging and dangerous.
Since the first successful attempt in 1950, over 70 climbers have lost their lives attempting to reach its summit. Its steep slopes make it particularly prone to avalanches, with snow regularly piling up on its sharp edges.
For every three people who successfully make it up the mountain and back down, one person dies .
That’s a rate of around 33%, meaning that for every 100 people who attempt the climb, 33 do not come back.
It is the tenth highest mountain in the world, and rises a majestic 8091m above sea level.
In 1970, Chris Bonington led a successful British attempt to scale the south face of the mountain for the first time ever.
The climbers Don Whillans and Dougal Haston reached the summit without using supplementary oxygen in a major achievement.
