Camp 3 Avalanche Kills Two; Operators Close the 2026 Manaslu Season
| Event date | Avalanche on the night of 20 September 2026; season closed 22 September |
|---|---|
| Location | Camp 3 (about 6,700 m / 22,000 ft) |
| Type | Avalanche; climbing accident; season closure |
| Deaths | 2 in the avalanche (4 for the season) |
| Verification | Verified |
| Status | Season closed; this entry may be updated |
On the night of 20 September 2026, a slab avalanche buried a tent at Camp 3, killing German-Indian climber Dhrubajyoti Guha (47) and his guide Fursemba Sherpa (47). As conditions worsened, six other climbers in their group had turned back from Camp 2, while the pair continued up to Camp 3 hoping for an early summit. Rescuers found both inside their tent under roughly two metres of snow.
Guha, who lived near Frankfurt, was an engineering graduate of Bengal Engineering College (now IIEST Shibpur) and an ultra-trail runner with more than 30 UTMB World Series finishes. Fursemba Sherpa, a registered guide from the Makalu region, had summited Everest nine times and also climbed Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, Cho Oyu and Manaslu.
With avalanche danger high and a cyclone from the Bay of Bengal forecast to reach Nepal later that week, Seven Summit Treks, the mountain’s largest operator, announced on 22 September that it was closing its Manaslu season “for the safety of everyone on the mountain”. Elite Exped and other large outfitters also called their teams down, leaving hundreds of climbers without a summit attempt after paying the permit and, typically, around US$25,000 for a guided expedition. The deaths took the season’s toll on Manaslu to four.
Sources
- Explorersweb — "Game Over on Manaslu — Outfitters Send Everyone Home" (22 September 2026)
- Explorersweb — "High Risk on Manaslu: Two Die in Avalanche; Summit Push Continues"
- Deseret News — "Why was a Himalayan climbing season shut down?"
- Alan Arnette — "Manaslu Avalanche and Potential Typhoon at Month End?"
Last reviewed 29 September 2026. Written in Merolog’s own words from the sources listed; where sources disagree, each figure is attributed rather than merged. Spotted an error or a newer figure? Leave a comment on this entry.