Nepal avalanche toll rises to 15 deaths with discovery of 8 bodies on Mount Himlung

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Rescuers discovered eight bodies at the base camp of Mount Himlung in Nepal on Thursday, raising the total number of deaths to 15 following an avalanche during severe weather Sunday.

The Nepal National Mountain Guide Association, which is leading the search, said rescuers dug through snow on Mount Himlung to find eight bodies in tents at the base camp, where one person remains missing.

“Due to continuing mountain hazards, recovery efforts have been temporarily concluded,” the association said. “Further efforts may be possible when conditions allow.”

Experienced mountain guides from the association took advantage of good weather and worked through the week to dig through the snow that covered the base camp.

Rescuers located 10 other climbers who were part of the group on Mount Himlung, a 7,126-meter (23,380-foot) peak in north-central Nepal, which is home to eight of the 14 tallest mountain peaks in the world including Mount Everest.

The avalanche is considered one of the worst disasters in Nepal mountaineering history.

Every year hundreds of foreign climbers come to Nepal to attempt climb the highest mountain peaks. Many of them have lost their lives trying to reach the summits in harsh weather conditions.

All those killed or missing this week were Nepali nationals preparing for foreign clients to arrive for the Autumn climbing season that began this month.

Nepal is still recovering from devastating flooding in August that swept away several villages, leaving more than 1,400 people dead and nearly 6,000 missing.

Bodies of Nepali climbers recovered after an avalanche on Mount Himlung lie at the morgue of a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Bodies of two Nepali climbers recovered after an avalanche on Mount Himlung lie at the morgue of a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Family members and friends of Nepali climbers gather as the bodies of Nepali climbers recovered after an avalanche on Mount Himlung lie at the morgue of a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A brother of a Nepali climber mourns as the bodies of Nepali climbers recovered after an avalanche on Mount Himlung lie at the morgue of a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

NEW DELHI (AP) — The Indian airline captain who helped thwart an apparent attempt to crash a FlyDubai flight described Friday how he fought for his life in the minutes after his co-pilot stabbed him and the plane began a steep descent.

Capt. Smit Machchhar, recovering in an Abu Dhabi hospital, told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a video call broadcast live on television news channels that he knew he had to get back on his feet to save the passengers aboard the aircraft.

“I had so many wounds. I had fallen down,” he said from the hospital, his head bandaged and tubes in his nose, before breaking down as he recalled the attack.

“I was fighting for my life. At one point, I realized that if I didn’t get up … then passengers would lose their lives,” he told Modi.

Machchhar, who is from India’s financial hub of Mumbai, was seriously injured in Wednesday’s attack but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and restrain the attacker as the Boeing 737 descended sharply, witnesses and Israeli authorities said. He has been hailed as a hero for his actions, with world leaders saying he helped prevent a potential disaster.

The flight, carrying 182 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia for an emergency landing.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker, an Omani national, was arrested in Saudi Arabia and was undergoing interrogation there. His motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

Machchhar said that during those difficult moments, he recited the Hanuman Chalisa, a Hindu devotional hymn dedicated to Lord Hanuman and traditionally recited as a prayer for strength and courage.

“Lord Hanuman gave me courage,” he told Modi.

Machchhar, who is married and has two children, has worked for FlyDubai for about four years, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before joining the airline, he spent 11 years with SpiceJet, an Indian low-cost carrier, where he served as a senior commander and line training captain. He logged more than 9,750 flying hours with SpiceJet.

News media personnel film in the building where relatives of Smit Machchhar, an Indian pilot for Flydubai, previously lived in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

A teacher from Gurukul School of Art paints a portrait honoring Smit Machchhar, an Indian pilot with FlyDubai, in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

This undated photo released on Israel's Foreign Ministry social media shows Indian Capt. Smit Machchhar in the cockpit of a plane in an unknown location. Machchhar was at the controls of a FlyDubai flight that was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia for an emergency landing on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (Israel's Foreign Ministry via AP)