Below are some of the deadliest avalanches recorded.
Top 5 Most Horrific Avalanche Disasters
1. Double Avalanche at Manaslu, Nepal
Recently, at 9:40 AM local time on October 2, a massive avalanche struck the Manaslu Base Camp in Nepal, resulting in at least one fatality.
The incident, captured by climber Tashi Sherpa, showed the avalanche crashing down on the Manaslu camp, destroying approximately 30 tents.
Earlier, on September 27, another avalanche occurred on the slopes of Manaslu, killing 2 people and injuring 10 others.
Nepal is one of the countries that frequently experiences avalanches.
In 2015, an earthquake killed 2,000 people and triggered an avalanche from Mount Everest on the same “fatal” day, resulting in at least 17 deaths (the highest recorded avalanche fatalities in Nepal) and 61 injuries.
2. Huascarán Disaster
Huascarán is one of the tallest mountains in the world, located in the Andes of Peru, at an elevation of 6,768 meters above sea level.
One of the ice blocks sliding down from the summit of Huascarán during the avalanche. (Photo: BBC).
On October 10, 1962, a massive ice block weighing 6 million tons slid down Huascarán, impacting the towns below.
The avalanche buried the towns of Ranrahirca and Huarascucho under 12.1 meters of ice, mud, trees, and rocks, claiming approximately 4,000 lives, with only a few fortunate survivors.
Additionally, the avalanche caused the death of 10,000 animals, destroyed agriculture, and flooded surrounding towns due to blocked rivers.
Another incident occurred in 1970 when an earthquake beneath the sea in the Ancash region triggered glaciers and snow on Huascarán to break loose, descending upon populated areas below.
Notably, the avalanche also carried a large amount of soil, rocks, and water, creating a mudslide effect.
They moved at speeds of over 96 km/h, sweeping away everything in their path for nearly 100 km.
An area in Yungay Viejo, Peru, 10 years after the avalanche swept through in 1970 (Photo: Wikipedia).
The Huascarán disaster in 1970 resulted in approximately 70,000 deaths and destroyed over 10 provinces and cities in the country.
A report released by the United States stated that officials claimed such an event would not occur again for thousands of years.
3. White Friday, Italy
In 1916, during the intense fighting of World War I, several Austro-Hungarian military camps were established on Marmolada Mountain.
That winter, heavy snowfall combined with rising temperatures created conditions conducive to avalanches.
In mid-December 1916, 200,000 tons of snow, rock, and ice directly descended upon the camps, where only a few hundred soldiers were present, all of whom perished.
In the following days, numerous avalanches continued to fall down the mountainside. Many believe that the enemy’s Austro-Hungarian forces intentionally fired artillery at the snow-covered mountains to trigger avalanches.
This was used as a weapon to eliminate the soldiers’ camps, though there is little evidence to support this claim.
It is estimated that the avalanches resulted in approximately 9,000 to 10,000 military casualties, accounting for about 1% of the total soldiers who died in World War I.
4. The Horrific Winter
During the winter of 1950-1951, the Alps along the Austria-Switzerland border experienced extremely harsh weather conditions, with record snowfall of around 4.5 meters in just three days.
Local residents clearing snow that buried a road during the Horrific Winter (Photo: Twitter).
Notably, during this period, the combination of rainfall and the interaction of warm air above with colder air at ground level served as a warning for a horrific winter in the region.
The aftermath saw Austria and Switzerland suffer 649 avalanches within three months, resulting in over 265 fatalities in the area, the death of over 500 livestock, and the destruction of 900 buildings.
5. Terrifying Avalanche in Afghanistan
In February 2005, in the Panjshir province of Afghanistan, where rocky terrain combined with heavy snowfall led to a deadly avalanche.
Afghan army searching and digging for survivors after the earthquake combined with the avalanche in 2015 (Photo: Twitter).
At least 310 people lost their lives, and the Afghan government dispatched 1,000 soldiers to the area to search for and assist in rescuing survivors.
Transportation was buried under snow, vehicles were trapped, cell phone service was lost, and approximately 300 homes were destroyed.
This was the worst avalanche the country had ever recorded.
