Breaking · Safety & Advisories
Two Climbers Died When an Avalanche Buried Their Tent at Manaslu Camp III, and It Is the Fourth Death This Autumn
An Indian-born German climber and his Nepali Sherpa guide were found under about seven feet of snow on 20 September, in a season with record permits.
At a glance
- Published
- TopicSafety & Advisories
- Verified againstRadio Nepal
- Treks coveredManaslu Circuit Trek — 14 Days, Manaslu Circuit Trek — 16 Days
Key facts
- Two climbers were found dead in their tent at Camp III on Manaslu on 20 September.
- They were Dhruba Jyoti Guha, a German national of Indian origin, and Sherpa guide Phursemba Sherpa from the Makalu region.
- The tent was buried under about seven feet of snow.
- This is the fourth death of the autumn season on the mountain.
Two climbers died on Manaslu this weekend when an avalanche struck their tent at Camp III, according to Nepal's Radio Nepal and the District Police Office in Gorkha. Their bodies were scheduled to be flown to Kathmandu by helicopter on Monday.
What happened
Guha and Phursemba Sherpa were on an expedition run by Makalu Adventure. They were at Camp III, at roughly 6,800 metres, on Saturday evening for an early summit attempt. Contact with the expedition team was lost the next day. Operator Mohan Lamsal told Adventure Mountain that the tent was struck by an avalanche and buried more than two metres deep. Four Sherpas were sent up to search and found both men dead, buried by around seven feet of snow inside the tent.
Reports describe Phursemba Sherpa as an experienced Makalu-region guide registered with the Nepal Mountaineering Association who had climbed Everest several times. The spelling of his name varies between outlets, so we have used the Radio Nepal version.
Most other teams had already abandoned their summit attempts because of heavy snowfall and avalanche danger, and retreated to base camp, Adventure Mountain reported.
A hard season on a busy mountain
This autumn Nepal issued a record number of Manaslu permits. Radio Nepal puts it at 480 mountaineers, while another report cites 493, so treat the exact figure as approximate. Either way it is the most crowded Manaslu has been.
| Date | Who | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 5 September | Tashi Sherpa, 20, porter | Base camp |
| 17 September | Lau Wee Seng, 50, Singaporean | Near Camp II |
| 19-20 September | Dhruba Jyoti Guha, German national | Camp III |
| 19-20 September | Phursemba Sherpa, guide | Camp III |
The earlier two deaths were reported as altitude-related, which is a different kind of risk from an avalanche in a tent. We covered the first foreign death in our report on the Singaporean climber.
What this means for trekkers
The avalanche was at Camp III, far above anything a trekker will walk. The Manaslu Circuit trail does not go near the climbing route; it stays below the base camp area. Trail access this autumn has its own problem, though: parts of the trekking route were damaged by September floods, which we explain in our story on climbers flying to base camp. Ask for a current route report before you book, and do not rely on last year's itinerary.
What to do next
If you are planning the circuit later this autumn, the useful questions are about the trail, not the summit: what is the state of the path between Soti Khola and Samagaon, which alternative days are built in, and how would a helicopter evacuation work if a landslide closed the trail. Our 14-day Manaslu Circuit has spare days in the schedule for exactly this reason.
A note on the people in this story. Guides like Phursemba Sherpa carry much of the risk on every expedition, and they are often the people who go up to look when something goes wrong. Four Sherpas made that climb to Camp III on Sunday.
Sources: Radio Nepal (20 September 2026), Adventure Mountain (abenteuer-berg.de), Kenyans.co.ke, National Herald India.
Cover photo: Martin via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).
Still running this season
Manaslu Circuit Trek — 14 Days is running normally
NMA-certified local guides, transparent pricing, 5,000+ treks since 1998. Message us your dates and we'll sort the permits, lodges and logistics — reply within 24 hours, no obligation.
Popular Nepal treks
All treks →
Related coverage
Records & People
A Singaporean climber has died on Manaslu, the first foreigner lost this autumn
Lau Wee Seng, 50, died on 17 September near 6,000m while descending from Camp II on an acclimatisation rotation. He is the second death there this season.
Breaking Trail & Weather
Manaslu's Trekking Trail Washed Out This September, So Climbers Are Flying to Base Camp Instead
A flash flood destroyed two bridges on the Manaslu Circuit in early September 2026, and outfitters are now helicoptering climbing teams past the damage while trekkers wait for repairs.
Money & Insurance
Here's what a Manaslu Circuit trek really costs in 2026 now that solo trekkers can finally get the permit
A guided Manaslu Circuit runs about US$1,550 to US$2,100 per person in autumn 2026 - and since 22 March the old two-person permit rule is gone, so lone walkers no longer pay for a phantom second permit. Here's the honest, line-by-line breakdown.
Safety & Advisories
Is the Manaslu Circuit Trek Affected by the 2026 Nepal Floods?
No — the Manaslu Circuit runs on the Budhi Gandaki in Gorkha, a different river from the flood-hit Bhote Koshi in Rasuwa. Here is why the trail and the Larke La are unaffected — and the one road caveat to confirm.
Latest from the desk
World Destinations
Canadians are coming back to the US, but nowhere near the way they used to
Return trips from the US rose 8.8% in August, a fifth straight monthly rise. Car trips are still 27.4% below August 2024.
Permits & Rules
Nepal Now Stations Rangers at 6,400 Metres on Everest to Weigh Climbers' Rubbish, Poop Bags Included
Everest's first mountain rangers weighed 9.5 tonnes of waste this spring, and 1.76 tonnes of it was human waste carried down in bags.
Records & People
Nepal Drops From 8,848 Metres to 59 in Under 250 Kilometres, and Its Lowest Point Just Moved
A 2017 survey reportedly found a lower spot than the one Nepal had used for decades, which makes the gap between jungle floor and Everest summit even harder to believe.